Minister for transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has welcomed the start of work on two major tourism projects for Limerick City valued at over €10 million.
Publish Date: Thursday 24th January 2013
Minister for transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has welcomed the start of work on two major tourism projects for Limerick City valued at over €10 million.
The redevelopment of King John’s Castle and development works at City Quays in Limerick has got underway after a contractor was appointed, creating 120 jobs during construction and 17 permanent jobs at King John’s Castle on completion.
The King John’s Castle redevelopment project will open up new areas of the Castle battlements to visitors, who will be escorted by guides in period costume. Visitors will be able to try on these costumes themselves, including on chainmail tunics or 18th century dresses, or explore a battle campaign tent and blacksmith’s forge from a 17th century siege.
The City Quays project will develop a walking trail between Shannon Bridge and Sarsfield Bridge and provide visitors with new views of Limerick Riverside City. There will also be extensive landscaping and a new boardwalk.
Shannon Development and Limerick City Council have signed two separate contracts with Co. Clare based building and civil engineering contractor, L&M Keating Ltd, to undertake the development works at both projects, which are due for completion in summer 2013.
Speaking after a recent visit to both projects, Minister Varadkar said: "It’s great to visit King John’s Castle and City Quay’s to experience the exciting plans for these projects at first hand. My Department has invested €7.8 million in these two projects as part of its commitment to maintain and improve tourism and heritage attractions. I look forward to following progress and revisiting the sites once work is complete".
The redevelopment of King John’s Castle is being undertaken by Shannon Development, and the project will be managed by its subsidiary company Shannon Heritage when completed.
Highlighting the expected impact of the project, Shannon Development Assistant Chief Executive John King said: "We are confident that the redevelopment of this iconic visitor attraction will result in a doubling of visitor numbers to 80,000, and bring positive benefits for a range of tourist accommodation providers and hospitality sector services in Limerick."
The €5.7 million King John’s Castle visitor experience upgrade is a key project in the strategy to establish Limerick City as one of Ireland’s key tourism destinations. Grant support of €4.7 million has been secured for the project under the NDP (2007 – 2013) tourism programme operated by Fáilte Ireland, with the remainder of the funding being provided by Shannon Development.
The King John’s Castle project will involve a complete redevelopment of the visitor experience and will present the history of Limerick and the castle, particularly during the period of the sieges of Limerick, in a way that will appeal to all ages and groups. The introduction of a wide range of new technologies and specialist multimedia techniques will be used to bring the Castle’s rich history to life.
New parts of the castle battlements, previously inaccessible, will be opened up to visitors for the first time. The archaeology underneath the visitor centre will also be enhanced as part of the redevelopment work.
The second major project for Limerick is the City Quay’s project which is being developed by Limerick City Council at a total cost of €4.8 million. Grant support of €3.15m has been secured under the NDP (2007 – 2013) tourism programme operated by Fáilte Ireland. The project will involve landscaping, the development of a new boardwalk, and the construction of a walkway.
Commenting on the project Kieran Lehane, Director of Services – Limerick City Council said: "The City Quay’s project being undertaken by Limerick City Council will see the completion of the next stage of the Limerick Riverside Improvement Strategy, which involves the development of a trail between Shannon Bridge and Sarsfield Bridge along Howley’s Quay. This will complement the significant work already completed on O’Callaghan and Clancy Strands. This site provides a wonderful location for visitors to view Limerick Riverside City. Along with creating a new tourism amenity and tourism pedestrian zone including boardwalk, the area will be developed as a hub for water based activities."
For further information please contact: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Press Office. Tel: (01) 6041007 / (01) 6041090