Funding announced for Inis Cealtra
INIS Cealtra or Holy Island in Scarriff Bay, Lough Derg, is one of the most historically important ecclesiastical sites in Ireland. Referred to locally as the ‘Jewel of the Lough’, Inis Cealtra continues to be used today as a burial ground.
The ruins and buildings still standing on the island date back to the 7th century when the monastic site was established by St Caimin. Buildings on the island include a 24m-high round tower, an oratory and several churches.
Government funding for the Holy Island Visitor Experience will allow an ambitious tourism and regeneration project to develop Mountshannon and the broader East Clare area as an international visitor destination. This funding from the latest round of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) will transform the Old Rectory in Mountshannon into the gateway to one of the most significant ecclesiastical sites in Ireland.
Having taken 41 acres of the island into public ownership in 2015, Clare County Council has now acquired the Old Rectory building overlooking Mountshannon Harbour. The RRDF allocation will go towards the cost of repurposing the Old Rectory for visitor facilities; acquiring land for parking; delivering upgraded wastewater treatment and providing upgraded public spaces in and around the village.
On completion in 2024, the visitor centre will comprise: a reception area, three exhibition areas interpreting stories from Mountshannon and the island, as well as a revitalised rectory garden. Boat trips will initially take visitors around InisCealtrawhile, in the future, trips to the island will form part of the overall experience.
Clare County Council estimates that the Holy Island Visitor Experience has the potential to sustain 12 fulltime equivalent jobs and create an additional 116 jobs through stimulated employment. From a current base of a few hundred visitors a year, the estimates are for 20,000 visitors in the first year of operation, rising to 75,000 after five years, generating an annual spend of €4.3 million.
Clare County Council has committed to invest a further €1 million to the project and this, along with almost €4 million from the RRDF, represents a considerable vote of confidence in the project and its long-term-viability.