Press release
New experience at the iconic Blasket Centre in Dún Chaoin officially opens
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
A new visitor experience has officially opened at the Blasket Islands today, following an investment of €2.9 million** from Fáilte Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The Minister for State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works Patrick O’Donovan and Máire Ní Shúilleabháin Uí Chíobháin, daughter of famed Blasket author Muiris Ó Súilleabháin, today re-opened the iconic Blasket Centre (Ionad an Bhlascaoid) in Dún Chaoin on the Western edge of the Dingle Peninsula.
Adjacent to the recently opened viewing platform with spectacular views over the Blasket Islands, the project includes a total transformation of the Centre’s exhibitions to deliver an authentic, and imaginative re-telling of the story of the Blasket islands, their rich heritage and their literature which is of national and international significance. The Blasket Centre is a flagship visitor attraction for County Kerry and is expected to attract 63,000 visitors to the region by Year 5 of opening.
Fáilte Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have together invested €2.9 million in the Centre. The Centre has been designated as a Wild Atlantic Way Signature Discovery Point, and together with the walkway and viewing platform, which opened to the public in 2020, offers dramatic views of the Blasket Island archipelago and the Atlantic coastline.
The Centre provides direct employment for 20 people when in operation and will support over 250 additional jobs in this Gaeltacht region.
Welcoming the official opening of the centre, Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin said:
“The story of the Blasket Islands is one of great interest to domestic and international audiences. The renewed visitor experience at the Blasket Centre is an exciting and imaginative opportunity for visitors to engage with the richness of that culture.”
Patrick O’Donovan, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, added:
“I am delighted to reopen the Blasket Centre – Ionad an Bhlascaoid – here in Dún Chaoin today. It is a stunning piece of architecture in itself and is now home to a totally new exhibition that tells the story of the Blasket Islands in an imaginative multi-media experience. It also pays homage to the significant cultural footprint the islanders left in a series of books documenting their lives. I invite visitors to come and discover this utterly unique heritage centre and museum which is both a window into the past and enables us to keep the extraordinary legacy of the Blasket Islanders alive by engaging with their history, their language and culture.”
Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State For Heritage and Electoral Reform, said:
“The Blasket Islands are internationally known and are among Ireland’s most significant sites from a cultural and historical perspective. The story of the islands and its people is one we should all know, and now, thanks to our strategic partnership with Failte Ireland and the Office of Public Works, it will be told again and again to an even greater audience.”
Orla Carroll, Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland added:
“Investing in standout attractions that tell the rich story of Irish heritage creates new and unique reasons for visitors to choose Ireland, while creating employment in rural Ireland and its urban centres. The Dingle Peninsula is home to a wonderful array of natural and heritage attractions, and the development of this new centre and the spectacular vistas from the viewing platform at the Blasket Islands create another reason to visit Kerry. We are pleased to have developed this project under our strategic partnership with the OPW and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, adding another exciting focal point for people to come and discover along the Wild Atlantic Way.”
For more information please contact:
Trudi McDonald, Communications Officer, Fáilte Ireland
0860673964 / trudi.mcdonald@failteireland.ie
Dorothea Depner, Press Officer, OPW
087 947 5552 / Dorothea.depner@opw.ie
Photography from the launch will be circulated to media after the launch. Additional images are available directly from Valerie O’Sullivan Photography at valerieosullivanf8@gmail.com
Fáilte Ireland’s role is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural, and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland. Tourism is of critical importance to the national economy and to regional development and employment. Pre-coronavirus, the sector generated revenue of €7.5 billion annually and supported 260,000 jobs nationwide while contributing €1.7 billion to the Exchequer.
We work in partnership with Government, State agencies, local authorities, representative groups and industry, to develop tourism across Ireland by creating destination development plans and networks, investing in infrastructure, activities, visitor attractions and festivals. Fáilte Ireland also provides consumer and buyer insights, mentoring, business supports and training programmes and buyer platforms to help tourism businesses innovate and grow.
The OPW cares for some 1,000 monuments and historic properties in 768 locations across Ireland, ranging from Neolithic passage tombs, medieval churches and castles to Elizabethan manor houses, Palladian mansions, parks and gardens and monumental forts. As custodians of many of Ireland’s most iconic heritage sites, our role is to build a bridge between our past, present and future by connecting more people to the richness, diversity and inspiration that exist in our heritage.
The Blasket Centre, originally opened in 1994, was the result of a partnership between the Blasket Foundation and the Irish Government. The Centre and tours of the Great Blasket Island are operated by the Office of Public Works. The Blasket Centre tells the story of island life, subsistence fishing and farming, traditional life, including modes of work and transport, home life, housing and entertainment. The Centre details the community’s struggle for existence, their language and culture, and the extraordinary literary legacy they left behind- classics such as The Islandman, Twenty Years A-Growing, and Peig. Their story is told using a variety of means – exhibitions, interactive displays, artefacts, audio visual presentations and artworks.