South Dublin County Council, along with Fáilte Ireland, is delighted to announce the launch of the visitor interpretation enhancements recently completed at the Round Tower Visitor Centre, Brú Chrónáin, Clondalkin. The project, which was co-funded by the Council and the National Tourism Development Agency through its Surprising Stories scheme, places a strong focus on telling new stories about monastic life and the Round Towers of Ireland using a range of media including a free downloadable multilingual audio guide, interactive touchscreens, and printed interpretative panels.
The free audio guide takes visitors on a tour through time exploring 1,000 years of history broken down into 8 distinct exhibit rooms as well as bringing the monastic garden to life. The guide is available in 5 languages – English, Irish, French, German and Spanish. There is also a children’s version available in both English and Irish along with three interactive touchscreen points with games and quizzes making the visit a much more immersive experience for all ages.
The project provided an excellent opportunity to animate the monastic garden using bedding panels to provide visitors with information on what was typically grown, and why it was important to monastic life. Dotted throughout the garden are signs to prompt visitors to take the perfect #towerselfie and share their own Round Tower story. Further value has been added to the visitor experience with the addition of a heated outdoor area which has been developed to offer a multipurpose space for visitors.
Speaking at the launch at The Round Tower Visitor Centre, Fiona Fitzgerald from Fáilte Ireland’s Dublin team said: “Attractions are key to stimulating demand, creating and sustaining jobs, and delivering an economic return both locally and nationally. Pre -Covid, 68% of all overseas tourists visited attractions of historic or cultural interest therefore improved foreign language provision across attractions is a key selling point as we look to 2022. By bringing over 1,000 years of history to life, the Dublin Surprising Stories scheme will ensure Dublin’s historic and cultural attractions remain on the must-visit list for domestic and international visitors.”
Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr Peter Kavanagh said: “We are grateful for the support of Fáilte Ireland’s Surprising Stories funding as it has helped us to bring an improved offering to Clondalkin’s Round Tower Visitor Centre – Brú Chrónáin for both domestic and international visitors. We have been able to add local voices and stories to the exhibit, increase our language offerings, and create more interactions with our visitors. The development of the free downloadable audio guide allows our visitors to enjoy the exhibit at their own pace. This work means we are ready and excited for what’s to come in 2022. We have a motto in Clondalkin, Ár nDúchas Slán – to preserve our heritage, and this addition to Brú Chrónáin will help us no end.”
Destination Development is one of the key opportunities to help the tourism sector recover from the effects of the past two years and investing in the experience a visitor has at a visitor attraction is critical to how successful a destination will be, and by extension, is essential in driving visitor growth.
Pictured: Cllr Peter Kavanagh Mayor of South Dublin and Fiona Fitzgerald of Fáilte Ireland at launch of enhanced visitor experience at the Round Tower Visitor Centre
