Failte Ireland, along with the Dublin City Council (DCC) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) have put together a plan to create a trail from College Green to Kilmainham. This trail is set to become a major tourist draw to Dublin as a whole, and will hopefully help to bring more visitors to our area.
Dubline is the name given to this route through Dublin’s “ancient highway”, which contains a wealth of historic places, monuments and buildings, alongside some of the most visited tourist attractions in Ireland.
To aid the flow of visitors to the new Dubline Trail, public works improvements are to be made to streets and buildings along the route, plus a fund has been set up which will be made available to tourism businesses or attractions along, or in the vicinity of, the Dubline route.
Major local tourist attractions along the route include the Guinness Store House, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathederal, Dublinia at Christchurch, and Kilmainham Gaol. But smaller businesses can also access this fund, which may go some way to explaining the timing of applications to develop new Whiskey Distilleries in the area (see here and here for example). One of those at least is set to include a tourist centre.
Maps of the entire route can be viewed below on this page. To find out if you are eligible for funding, you can read this document (PDF). If you would like to contact Dubline, or submit an application, please click here.
What Happens Next? (via Dubline)
Between 2012 and 2015 the development of the Dubline will act as a catalyst for a variety of improvements to some of Dublin’s most historic areas. Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council and the OPW will work together to ensure this vision is realised. The next steps in the Project include;
- An enhanced orientation, way finding and discovery system linked to opportunities to explore locations off the central spine
- Greatly improved access to the heritage of the area through innovative interpretation
- Implementation of public realm enhancements to improve the pedestrian environment
- Further investment in visitor attractions and infrastructure including the development of a new visitor servicing hub
- Promotion of the Dubline to both domestic and international visitors
- A dedicated forum for engaging with the businesses, communities and institutions along the route
The Dubline Trail
Below are maps of the six main blocks within the trail. Click on them for larger resolution…
1: College Green
2: Dublin Castle
3: Christchurch
4: The Liberties
5: St. James’s Gate
6: Kilmainham
