Funding awarded through the Ireland’s Ancient East Storytelling Interpretation Grants Scheme
Heritage and visitor attractions in Waterford have been given a major boost today as Fáilte Ireland announced that The Bishop’s Palace Museum, Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens and Lismore Heritage Centre will be awarded a total of €350,000 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 Waterford - 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.
Welcoming the funding announcement today as he visited Waterford, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D., said:
“Ireland’s Ancient East attracts visitors from across the country and overseas thanks to its rich history and storytelling. Waterford 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 The Bishop’s Palace Museum, Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens and Lismore Heritage Centre will really help to boost the tourism offering here and, in turn, drive even more visitors and revenue into County Waterford.”
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 Waterford, 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.”
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 €350,000 funding for Waterford:
• The Bishop’s Palace Museum (€200,000)
• Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens (€73,200)
• Lismore Heritage Centre (€75,000)
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