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FOUR TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS in Ireland have been awarded a total of €73 million to develop their projects.
€44.3 million from Fáilte Ireland along with €29 million from other public and private investors is being given to tourist locations in Cavan, Donegal, Dublin and Mayo.
Shannon Pot and Cavan Burren Park in Blacklion, Co Cavan are receiving €4.8 million from Fáilte Ireland, while Fort Dunree and Head in Buncrana, Co Donegal has been awarded €9.3 million.
€20.2 million of the Fáilte Ireland funding is going to Westport House Estate and Gardens in Westport, Co Mayo, with another €10 million to ‘This is Ireland’ in Dublin 1.
The This is Ireland attraction, which will be located in the north city centre, primarily features a flight simulator and covers Irish history.
The Fort Dunree project in Buncrana plans on building a funicular, which would be the only one in Ireland, to carry visitors up the hill to the High Fort.
Funiculars are short railways that usually go up a hill or mountain, with cars pulled up and down by cables.
In Westport, funding will be put towards a “Wild Realms” project focused on the site’s wild flora and native woodlands, while the development at the Shannon Pot Discovery Centre and Cavan Burren Park, which educates visitors on the River Shannon and its impact on Irish life, will include the installation of an elevated viewing platform.
Minister for Culture Catherine Martin said the investment in “creative and impactful large-scale visitor experiences is critical to strengthening Ireland’s reputation internationally as a must-visit holiday destination and provides a catalyst for further innovation in the tourism sector”.
“This is the most significant investment in visitor attractions ever undertaken by Fáilte Ireland that will have far-reaching national and regional economic benefits,” Martin said.
It is hoped that the projects will create 8,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate €290 million from domestic and international visitors.
Fáile Ireland CEO Paul Kelly said that driving the growth of regional tourism is “now more important than ever as we rebuild the sector and recover from the devastation of Covid-19″.
“The four awarded projects are truly best-in-class. They are diverse, engaging and unique and will help visitors connect with Ireland and bring the country’s vibrant culture, heritage and people to life,” Kelly said.
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While its great to see the investment, it seems like there is literally money for everything at present, grants, funding, you name it every single area is getting money money lately…yet , housing is not getting anywhere need to resources or the actual legislation needed.
@M. Murphy: only 3 comments before the expected “what about houses” post.
Tourism and taxes are what *Pays* for the social houses. We need invest in tourism.
@Anthony Clark: absolutely correct. The problem with housing is sad and effects me too but we still need tourist and that income, we still need facilities too.
It’s not the tourists fault we didn’t build up instead of out or that objections from politicians hold up development of social housing… It’s a mess yes but we need those dollars that sterling that Renminbi and Yen.
@M. Murphy: agree – it is very telling that it always seems to be the govt agencies that are spending millions – the many govt and state agencies like the bord failtes were all completely unaffected financially by covid and remained on full pay working from home – watch any ad break and its all tv ads for the agencies like RSA , HSE , spending millions to relentlessly give us ‘awareness campaigns’ and ‘safety’ messages – and its all very very inefficient costing taxpayers millions but nobody seemingly asking the hard questions are we spending the millions correctly – because if you worked in aviation , hospitality , musicians etc etc – and they create the impression there’s millions sloshing around but there really isn’t if you talk to people on the ground about realities – the half the country that are scraping by are not seeing these millions – ‘all in this together’ – not so much
that will ruin fort Dunree it’s not that much of a walk
@ed w: not much of a walk if you are able-bodied, many in Ireland are not and this allows them to enjoy the amenities too.
@Andy Cowan: in fairness, how many non able bodied people will this genuinely benefit to a degree
@Kevin O’ Brien: like anything, build it and they will come. Very few if any of our natural amenities are accessible for disabled people. If it is feasible then we should as a society be doing everything possible to make these places as accessible to people of all abilities instead of maintaining the status quo just for fully able bodied people. Disabled people work and pay taxes too so why shouldn’t amenities be provided for them too.
@Kevin O’ Brien: that’s not a great attitude, I’ve many friends who suffer from disabilities. I didn’t know many but when you know one and get in on their circle you see how many their actually is and how they are so limited in where they can go. Everyone regardless of disability should be able to see all we have to offer.
Also think big. Person in wheelchairs in United States wants to go on holiday… Where can I go… I hear Ireland is gone all out for people like me ..
If you build it……
@Tom Ripley: their and there. *Smacks myself*
@ed w: Good points made about disabled people but I also agree that this could ruin the attraction for a lot of people. When I lived in the UK I was determined to climb Mt Snowdon, then I heard there was a train to the top with a Cafe up there and had no interest after that. I would say 80% of the enjoyment of hillwalking is the physical effort it takes to get up there, getting a train,cable car etc is not the same. But then the disabled argument is so valid also.
@Ronan: there’s many walking routes up m Snowden’s. For example You could have walked the Pyg track from Rhyd Dhu and avoided the railway entirely.
Monorail?
@Daniel Kelly: Going by the photo, it looks like a single track railway.
@Daniel Kelly: Well, sir, there’s nothing on earth
Like a genuine, bona fide
Electrified, six-car monorail
What’d I say?
@Daniel Kelly: I hear those things are awfully loud.
@Daniel Kelly: were you sent here by the devil?
boring, yawn stuff. can they not come up with something more exciting. .what about things like submarines with viewing windows . I have kids and other than the funicular thing the rest would bore them (and me ) out of our minds
@Ben BFI: or whitewater rafting in the middle of a large urban area?
@Ben BFI: I’d say you’re the cultural vaccum here. Bet you’ve never set foot inside a museam in your life
This could spoil the natural beauty of the area around Dunree if its not done right. In my opinion, Donegal tourism would benefit more if the money were invested in better transport links.
have your say