Tourism funding boost for Birr

Birr has been allocated a “substantial” amount of funding by Fáilte Ireland to develop its potential as a tourism destination town.

The funding has been allocated through Offaly County Council as part of the €15.5million ‘Destination Towns’ initiative launched earlier this year by the National Tourism Development Authority.

The ‘Destination Towns’ project aims 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 also be developed for Castle Street to create a new destination focal point and strengthen the connection between the town and the castle. When the Offaly Independent contacted Fáilte Ireland to get confirmation of the exact amount of the allocation, a spokesperson said that “final funding amounts are being finalised ahead of the allocation in January but every local authority was able to bid for up to €500,000”.

The process of identifying the towns that receive funding through the Destination Towns scheme commenced in mid-2019 and was led by the Local Authorities in consultation with Fáilte Ireland.

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D. confirmed this week that every county in Ireland will benefit and the first round of allocations, including Birr, will take place from January.

Through the scheme, which was launched earlier this year, 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.