- The Record Tower, Dublin Castle – €3m
- Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre – €2.58m
- Rock of Cashel – €1.78m
- Knowth – €1.4m
- Newgrange – €1m
- Ormond Castle, Co Tipperary – €585k
- King John’s Castle, Carlingford – €400k
- Glendalough, Co Wicklow – €349k
- The Phoenix Park (tourism and amenity study) – €300k
- Boyne Valley (Interpretation Masterplan) – €120k
Historic attractions in Ireland’s Ancient East – including Dublin Castle and the Boyne Valley – are to share €11.5m in funding from Fáilte Ireland’s Capital Grants budget. The funding is in the context of Fáilte Ireland’s strategic partnership with the OPW to assist in the refurbishment and enhancement of key visitor attractions.
Patrick O’Donovan, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, said: “Our history and culture are a big part of our tourism offering and I am delighted to see Fáilte Ireland and the OPW working so closely together to improve some of our key heritage sites and making them much more accessible to visitors. If tourism is to sustain growth into the longer term, we need to continually upgrade and enhance the experience on the ground.”
The funding includes an investment in a new museum and viewing platform in The Record Tower at Dublin Castle, plus significant funding for the Rock of Cashel as well as Newgrange, Knowth and the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
Séan Canney, Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, said: “There are many wonderful places to visit including Dublin Castle, where we are today, Glendalough, Ormond Castle and Knowth/Newgrange to name a few. The stimulus of this investment will help us to greatly improve the quality of the visitor offering and experience at these OPW locations so as to make sure that Ireland continues to be a great place to visit and to holiday. We have started with these 10 initial projects and I very much look forward to more such announcements in the future at other sites right around Ireland.”
Fáilte Ireland’s CEO, Paul Kelly, said: “The tourism sector currently sustains 220,000 jobs and generates an estimated €6bn economic value a year. However, continued tourism growth will very much be dependent on our ability to provide continued improvement in the range of visitor experiences on the ground. Our latest overseas visitor research demonstrated that our unique history and culture provides a strong incentive for bringing people to our shores.”
Fáilte Ireland is also working closely in a similar fashion with Coillte where last December it announced a €550K investment and also with the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) where it recently announced a €500k package of capital support.