Fáilte Ireland delay for museum
THE JFK Trust are confident that funding can be secured for a new museum planned for New Ross town centre.
A price has been agreed with the owner of a prominent town centre building for the museum, which would transform the town because of its location and the scale of the project, if funding is forthcoming from Fáilte Ireland. The funding application round has been delayed, causing some frustration locally, but this is not due to impact on when the new centre will open its doors, in around 2021.
The museum project is an initiative between the Dunbrody Visitor Centre, the JFK Trust and other tourism stakeholders in the town which would be managed by the trust.
Chairman of the JFK Trust Cllr Willie Fitzharris said an application for funding for the museum is complete. Plans to use the Murphy furniture barn and adjoining building for the museum have been drafted by consultants CHL Consulting Group - who worked on the Titanic Centre in Belfast.
At the heart of the new museum will be telling the William Marshall story, but because of the size of the premises other tourism attractions could also be accommodated, along with space for Masters and PhD students to study the town’s rich history, and further exhibition spaces.
One of the main planks of the plan is to connect South Street with the quay by developing a Norman streetscape.
Cllr Fitzharris, who is cathaoirleach of the council, said several million euros in funding will be sought for the ambitious project from Fáilte Ireland and Wexford County Council over the coming years.
The project, which is backed by New Ross Municipal District and Wexford County Council who see the tourism the potential the town has, aims to increase visitor numbers to the town from across Ireland, the UK and France, but also from America arising from interest in the Graves shipping company story regarding emigration from New Ross Port in the 1800s to Savannah.
Presently the Dunbrody Famine Ship experience attracts 70,000 visitors per year and Failte Ireland is aiming to increase tourist footfall in the town to 100,000 per year.