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District Council Tourism Experiences Get Market Ready

8 September 2021 | By Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

On Tuesday 24th August Newry, Mourne & Down District Council hosted a market insights training workshop for sixteen local tourism businesses. The Ulster based businesses have formed a cluster of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Experience Providers developing visitor ready ICH Experiences through Atlantic CultureScape, an Interreg Atlantic Area funded project.

Attendees gained market insights and expertise that will enable them to pitch their ICH Experiences to the Travel Trade market over the Winter. The training workshop took place at Denvir’s Coaching Inn, Downpatrick, and was the first in person meeting for the Northern Irish ICH Experience Providers since the start of the Covid Pandemic in March 2020.

The sixteen ICH Experiences will include Dry Stone Walling, Traditional Irish Dancing, Gaelic Games and Traditional Irish bread-making and be marketed as part of a new ICH transnational visitor route being delivered in 2022 via the Atlantic CultureScape Project. The Route will bring together ICH Visitor Experiences from the across the Atlantic Area from Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Wales.

The Cluster of ICH Experience Providers outside Down Cathedral

Judith Boyle, Newry, Mourne & Down District Council Cluster Manager said;
“We are proud of how our cluster of ICH Experience Providers in Northern Ireland, who have worked remotely throughout the pandemic to develop their ICH Experiences. We are incredibly pleased that the resulting 16 Experiences are nearing completion and look forward to presenting them to the Travel Trade market.”

The sixteen ICH Experiences being developed in the Newry, Mourne & Down District Council area of Northern Ireland are:

  1. Dry Stone Walling – The Green Mournes
  2. Smithies and Shoddies- Walk the Mournes
  3. Poitin and Fish – Killowen distillery
  4. Cottages to Castle Irish Lace- Forget me Nots
  5. Celtic Wood Turning- Blue Bell Lane
  6. Sing for your Supper- Oriel Events
  7. Glass from the Past – Whiterock Studio
  8. Boley & Butter- Mountain Ways Ireland
  9. St Patrick & The Pagan Hills- Walk Lecale
  10. Dancing at the crossroads- Celtic Storm Dancers
  11. Irish Language experience- at Denvir’s Coaching Inn
  12. Ceili and Criac – Tumbling Paddy’s Hilltown
  13. Story of Gaelic Games in County Down- at Denvir’s Coaching Inn
  14. Irish Harp & Uileann Pipes at Down Cathedral
  15. St Brigid Cross Making- Down Museum
  16. Ulster Bread Making – NI Food Tour

The development of ICH Experiences is funding through the Atlantic CultureScape project which is co-financed by the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme through the European Regional Development Fund.        

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