New immersive experience in top tourist attraction near Limerick

SHANNON Heritage has unveiled plans to rejuvenate the Bunratty Castle and Folk park visitor experience.

As part of a multi-million euro blueprint, the tourism body has lodged a planning application with Clare County Council to change the face of the experience.

According to the plans, there will be a new four-dimensional visitor experience. A new building is to be constructed for this purpose.

All 25 homes in the 19th century folk park and the 15th century castle at the site will get an uplift in interpretation as well as improved landscaping and new creative play elements and navigation.

Niall O’Callaghan, the managing director of Shannon Heritage said: “Over the past year we have set out an ambitious growth strategy which has already begun to succeed with the addition of new attractions to the portfolio. Today’s milestone at our flagship is a further step towards our goal to significantly increase visitors to our region and Ireland. It is a hugely exciting transformational project which will significantly enhance the storytelling, visitor interpretation and overall immersive experience of 800 years of history. Our staff and visitor feedback have been central to the vision of the ‘new’ Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and this, we believe, will create a major attraction of scale on the Wild Atlantic Way.”

Additionally, in order to support the dispersion of visitors around the Folk Park and increase dwell times for tourists, Ireland’s largest Butterfly House is planned for the regency walled garden at the opposite end of the park to the castle.

Clare County Council will now deliberate on the proposal.