Kylemore embraces new technology to tell history of its glorious past

A new €3 million multimedia visitor centre at Kylemore Abbey is expected to lure more tourists out of season to Connemara and encourage them to prolong their stay in this part of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Already half a million sightseers cross the bridge to take in the view of the stunning lakeside castle with nearly three quarters of them doing so during a three-month period in the summer, explained executive director of the Kylemore Abbey Trust, Conor Coyne. An average of 300,000 pay to visit the building and the Victorian gardens.

“Because Connemara is wet and windy, people feel it’s off limits during the rest of the year, but this visitor centre gives a 90-minute experience that weather-proofs their trip to Kylemore.

“We see Kylemore becoming a destination in its own right, linking up with other offerings in Clifden, Westport, the Connemara National Park – instead of a one-hour stop for tourists who travel from Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher and onto Donegal – in just one day.”

Two talking portraits depicting the founders of Kylemore, Mitchell and Margaret Henry, are the highlight of the centre which has been created in four authentically refurbished rooms in a large new wing of the castle.

The portraits bring to life the romantic story of how he vowed to build her a grand home in Kylemore Pass after the pair fell in love with the dramatic scenery while on honeymoon.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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