Mayo visitor centre hampered by lack of road signage

The lack of signage for a visitors centre in north Mayo needs to be addressed in order to attract more visitors according to the centre's management.

The Solas Visitor Experience and Tourism Hub in the Gaeltacht village of Eachléim in the Mullet Peninsula has attracted over 30,000 visitors since it opened 12 months ago.

However, the absence of roadside signage advertising the centre was raised with local councillors at the monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District which was held at the centre.

“There is one thing that I would like to mention which is signage in the county. There is very little signage for the centre, be it fingerposts or something to develop in the area to put us on the map,” said Tina Nic Eafartaigh, Manager Comharchumann Forbartha Ionad Deirbhile which operates the centre.

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Her colleague, Fergus Sweeney added that the numbers going to the centre have been growing but people found it difficult to find.

“We would have a lot of visitors coming in and saying to us that they would not have known we were here until we got outside. Maybe it is something we can discuss in the coming weeks to get the Solas brand up and draw those people in,” he said.

The support shown to the centre by Mayo County Council officials and councillors was acknowledged and appreciated by Ms Nic Eafartaigh.

The meeting heard that tourism in the region was on the up with regular boat trips between Blacksod, Achill and the Inis Ge islands attracting more people to the area.

Local councillors Gerry Coyle and Seán Carey complimented the local community for their hard work and congratulated them on winning the Mayo Meitheal of the Year Award.

Carrowholly-based councillor John O'Malley agreed that having travelled from Westport to the meeting there was a lack of signs and the centre would be difficult to find.

“I have been here before so I had an idea where it was but when I was coming down here we did not know exactly until we landed outside because there wasn't a sign out the whole road. If there was a sign out there it would make it an awful lot easier.

“For someone who wasn't here before it would be hard to get to and the signs are important and you are dead right there,” he said.

Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara also supported the call for extra signage saying that it was an issue he raised before.

“It is an issue I have raised several times regarding Achill. We spent €300 million on a road from Castlebar to Westport and along that road there is no sign at all for Achill. Surely we can spend a couple of thousand on signage pointing tourists who visit the west of Ireland towards Achill and Blacksod,” he said.