A Letterkenny-Milford Councillor says he wants more to be done to promote the Newmills Corn and Flax tourist sites to visitors.
Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh has made the call ahead of the busy Summer tourism season, saying that the site of the mills is underperforming when compared to other tourist attractions in the region.
He says that while there has been an increase in visits to OPW historic sites in County Donegal in recent years, he wants to see more done to promote the quality of the Newmills sites to visitors.
“It’s marvellous to see the interest in the OPW heritage sites across Donegal and increased numbers at all our major sites across the County, Donegal Castle saw an increase from 55K to 63K in 2023, Doe Castle rose from €34K in 2022 to 37K in 2023, and Glebe Gallery from 39K to 44K, these increases augur well for the success of our heritage sites and for our tourist industry,” Cllr Kavanagh said.
“Although Newmills Corn and Flax mills saw an encouraging increase from 1.5k in 2022 to 2.5k in 2023, the figures show that in comparison to other sites it is not reaching anywhere near its potential given how impressive the experience is for those who do pay a visit, and the positive feedback that the facility gets on sites like Tripadvisor.”
According to Cllr Kavanagh, the success of other such attractions nearby is proof the Newmills site has untapped potential.
“When you consider that Glebe Gallery which is only a short distance from Newmills and is attracting 37K visits and the fact that Glenveagh National Park is also on the same circuit, it shows clearly that Newmills is underperforming in comparison.
We need to redouble our efforts to provide more facilities at the site, a souvenir/coffee shop would be a major addition, as would including the cottage and former pub as part of the tour, carrying out the necessary road measures to make the visit more safe would also increase footfall, likewise the opening season should be extended to allow schools to visit this great piece of social and industrial history which is right on our doorsteps in Letterkenny.”
“The staff and guides at the facility are excellent and make the visit a very enjoyable one and whilst the increased figures for 2023 are encouraging they do show that we have a long way to go to bring the facility into line with our other heritage sites.”
