Work progressing on major tourism project for Offaly town

Work is progressing on a major tourism project for Birr, called the Destination Town Programme, which will entail an investment of €500,000.

About a year ago it was announced that Birr had been allocated €500,000 by Fáilte Ireland to develop its potential as a tourism destination town.

The funding was allocated through Offaly County Council as part of the €15.5 million nationwide Destination Towns initiative.
This programme will aim to develop an impactful and memorable identity for Birr and will deliver a series of new orientation signs, map boards and two information kiosks to encourage visitors to explore the many hidden gems of the town.
A new scheme will be developed for Castle Street to create a new destination focal point and strengthen the connection between the town and the castle.

Every local authority in the country had the opportunity to bid for funding of up to €500,000 to develop a town in the county to enable it to improve its tourism offering and make itself more attractive to visitors. Offaly County Council chose Birr.

The November meeting of Birr Municipal District, held in Birr Civic Offices on Monday afternoon, was told that work on the programme is underway. It was told that members of Offaly County Council's project steering group attended Fáilte Ireland's workshop called "Brief Writing Support and Signage Guidance Document" on November 2, a workshop which gave advice and guidance on the types of sign that will be appropriate.

Fáilte Ireland have conducted a destination audit of the town which benchmarked the town against Fáilte Ireland's key destination town criteria. Offaly County Council will meet Fáilte Ireland this month to agree the project plan. Present at the meeting will be Cllr John Carroll, representing Birr Municipal District and Birr 20:20, and a member of Birr Tidy Towns.
Cllr Carroll said this project could be an excellent thing for Birr. "I think it is very important though that there will be a good buy-in from the people of the town. It will be a big investment for the town and it will be a chance to significantly improve our profile."

Cllr John Clendennen pointed out that mention should be made of the other tourism attractions in Birr's vicinity (such as the Shannon and the Slieve Blooms) as part of the project.

Cllr Carroll added that one of the interesting points raised was the need to create more activity in Birr between about 6pm and 9pm. "It was pointed out that a lot of things close at 6pm and it's often pretty quiet after that. The idea would be to create more activity around the place during those hours, to make it more interesting for visitors."