Fáilte Ireland today announced the installation of new engaging interpretation panels at all of its 188 Discovery Points along the Wild Atlantic Way – including Donegal.
The panels feature local stories that bring the Wild Atlantic Way proposition to life at each Discovery Point location. The stories were identified as a direct result of local consultation and engagement with local historians, heritage officers and other local experts.
Already panels have been erected in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo and Galway with signs for the southern stretch (all the way down to West Cork) due in the coming weeks.
Welcoming the development, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan said:
“The Wild Atlantic Way is an evolving attraction and will continue to develop additional layers of experience over the coming years. Already, the route is proving very popular and I am confident that our ongoing investment in the initiative will enable it to generate additional jobs and revenue for communities all along the western seaboard.”
Speaking today, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of the Wild Atlantic Way, Fiona Monaghan explained the thinking behind the new panels:
“The rationale for the panels is to provide visitors with local stories which will add layers to the Wild Atlantic Way experience and bring each of our existing discovery points to life for tourists. A key part of this phase of our development of the Wild Atlantic Way project has been a close and productive partnership with local experts and historians as well as with the individual local authorities along the route.”
Last year, Fáilte Ireland had developed Photo Points at each of the Discovery Points and Embarkation Points along the route. The Photo Points were designed to literally ‘frame’ photographs taken by visitors at the beauty spots and scenic views along the route. The new interpretation panels are being installed next to each Photo Points and are intended to tell visitors a little of the history and heritage of the area. Each panel also includes historic or scenic images, a small motivational map and identifies some other local points of interest – with a call to ‘Discover more’.
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