Minister Griffin is pictured at the Old Cork Waterworks
Funding awarded through the Ireland’s Ancient East Storytelling Interpretation Grants Scheme
Heritage and visitor attractions in Cork have been given a major boost today as Fáilte Ireland announced that St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, Old Cork Waterworks, Fota House and Cork Public Museum will be awarded a total of €300,000 funding from its new Storytelling Interpretation Grants Scheme.
The history and stories behind visitor attractions across the length and breadth of Ireland’s Ancient East – including those in Cork - will be brought to life through the new grants scheme.
As part of its wider strategy to boost tourism and revenue across Ireland’s regions, Fáilte Ireland launched the scheme last year to improve the quality of animation and storytelling at existing attractions throughout Ireland’s Ancient East.
Successful bids have been recognised for their ability to improve the quality of physical interpretation at their sites through a range of innovative resources including audio guides, video and interactive technology.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D., who visited Cork to see first-hand how the grants will help each of the attractions, said:
“Ireland’s Ancient East attracts visitors from across the country and overseas thanks to its rich history and storytelling. Cork is a key player in Ireland’s Ancient East, with a wealth of experiences, culture and heritage available across the whole county, all year round. Grants like those which have been awarded to the amazing St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, Old Cork Waterworks, Fota House and Cork Public Museum will really help to boost the tourism offering here and, in turn, drive even more visitors and revenue into County Cork.”
Jenny De Saulles, Head of Ireland’s Ancient East at Fáilte Ireland, said:
“Visitors from around the world are increasingly expecting more interactive and hands-on ways to enjoy history and heritage – key components of our Ireland’s Ancient East brand. Development grants, like those we’ve announced today in Cork, are vital in ensuring our tourism offering remains strong and competitive.
“One of the key aims of our Ireland’s Ancient East brand is to drive greater regional growth and a longer season for many businesses. At Fáilte Ireland, we will continue to support tourism businesses across the county to develop a world-class experience for visitors from every corner of the globe.”
Helen Mulcahy at Cork County Council said:
"Cork County Council welcomes the announcement of this significant investment by Fáilte Ireland into St. Mary’s Collegiate Church in Youghal’s historic Raleigh Quarter. The Church has been in the ownership of Cork County Council from 2005 and since then considerable investment has been made by the local authority in terms of conservation and restoration works to this national monument.
"This new investment however will bring St. Mary's to a whole new level and make it in to a truly iconic visitor experience within Ireland’s Ancient East, complementing the existing built heritage assets of our 13th Century Town Walls and Youghal Clock Gate Tower, generating significant additional visitors, revenue and ultimately tourism jobs to the region. Cork County Council are very excited to be working with Fáilte Ireland again on such an exciting project."
Daniel Breen, Acting Curator at Cork Public Museum said:
“Cork Public Museum is delighted to be receiving a grant from the Ireland’s Ancient East Storytelling Interpretation scheme. It will help us to tell more stories in our archaeological exhibitions so visitors can really immerse themselves in Ancient Cork”.
Fáilte Ireland has identified a number of strategic objectives and priorities for Ireland’s Ancient East which target the use of storytelling interpretation to create brilliant experiences and in turn to deliver economic benefits.
These objectives are to:
• Deliver engaging world-class visitor experiences that make Ireland’s living and historical culture accessible through the use of authentic stories as a differentiator;
• Create and deliver unique visitor experiences based on “living” the history;
• Provide the visitor with interpretation in the first language of the target audience, i.e. in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian;
• Increase the length of time visitors spend in Ireland’s Ancient East and the amount of money they spend there;
• Encourage overseas visitors to stay beyond the traditional tourism season and to visit longer.
Breakdown of €300,000 funding for Cork:
· Cork Public Museum (€30,000)
· Fota House (€35,000)
· Old Cork Waterworks (€45,000)
· St. Mary’s Collegiate Church (€186,000)
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