Minister Harris welcomes 2014 OPW Top Twenty Most Visited Sites

16 January 2015

Simon Harris, TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) today (16 January 2015) announced another very successful year in terms of visitor numbers to heritage sites managed by the OPW. The top fee paying sites continued to do extremely well with Kilmainham Gaol recording nearly 330,000 visitors, while the Rock of Cashel showed an increase of over 17,000 visitors bringing its visitor numbers to 272,503 in 2014. The introduction of a self guided option for Dublin Castle allowed for a greater throughput of visitors which reached nearly 220,000.

Visitor numbers take into account not just the ticketed visitors but also admissions to various events and in some cases those people availing of the grounds/parklands of a site (where such visitors are recorded). Farmleigh Estate reported visitors to the grounds and the house of over 400,000 while Castletown House and Parklands had approx 285,000 visitors and the National Botanic Gardens had over 540,000 visitors through its gates. Kilkenny Castle welcomed record breaking numbers of 259,000 to the Castle with many more visitors to the grounds.

Welcoming the publication of the 2014 visitor numbers, Minister Harris said, “I would like to congratulate the staff of the OPW, whose hard work and professionalism not only protects and safeguards our most iconic monuments, but also offers a superb visitor experience that is unparalleled. This is evidenced by the 7 OPW sites which are due to receive “CIE Awards of Excellence for 2014”. The sites involved are Glendalough, Clonmacnoise, Bru na Boinne, Dun Aonghasa, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Goal and Boyle Abbey.

Minister Harris outlined "My Office has also embraced new initiatives and technologies in its management of the heritage estate, from the adoption of social media to making appropriate venues available for civil ceremonies".

2014 saw the OPW introduce an arrangement with the Friends of Manx National Heritage providing for free admission to OPW heritage sites on a reciprocal basis. Such arrangement follows on from the granting of free admission to members of English Heritage, with a number of similar proposals currently under examination. In addition, a number of OPW heritage sites continue to be key players in the highly acclaimed "Wild Atlantic Way".

Minister Harris concluded "The figures released today clearly demonstrate that OPW’s investment in our national heritage and its openness to change is reaping dividends with the welcome increases in visitor numbers. The tourism sector continues to be one of the main drivers behind Ireland's economic recovery and I am extremely pleased that the OPW plays such a significant role in this country's cultural heritage".

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The following are the list of OPW Top Twenty visited sites for 2014 with comparable numbers for 2013. The remaining site visitor numbers will be published shortly.

2014

National Botanic Gardens - 541,946
Farmleigh Estate - 402,773
Kilmainham Gaol - 328,886
Castletown House & Parklands - 285,410
Rock of Cashel - 272,503
Kilkenny Castle - 259,250
Dublin Castle - 217,758
Clonmacnoise - 149,472
Newgrange - 139,173
Phoenix Park Visitor Centre - 135,790
Dún Aonghasa - 121,001
J F Kennedy Arboretum - 92,274
Ross Castle - 83,225
Glendalough Visitor Centre - 79,810
Trim Castle - 76,511
Charles Fort - 74,446
Battle of the Boyne - 71,137
Cahir Castle - 66,737
Knowth - 58,883
Altamont - 58,023

2013

National Botanic Gardens - 550,000
Farmleigh Estate - 435,476
Kilmainham Gaol - 326,207
Rock of Cashel - 255,338
Castletown House & Parklands - 244,416
Kilkenny Castle - 241,302
Clonmacnoise - 139,413
Phoenix Park Visitor Centre - 137,755
Newgrange - 133,616
Dún Aonghasa - 105,539
Dublin Castle - 103,287
J F Kennedy Arboretum - 95,356
Glendalough Visitor Centre - 80,922
Ross Castle - 77,156
Trim Castle - 74,724
Charles Fort - 69,263
Cahir Castle - 67,713
Battle of the Boyne - 60,796
Altamont - 53,541
Kilmacurragh Gardens - 51,500