Funding confirmed for tourism hub in Eachléim

Comharchumann Forbartha Ionad Deirbhile (CFID) have been awarded Community Services Programme funding for the Solas Visitor Experience and Tourism Hub in Eachléim in north Mayo.

Michael Ring, TD, has welcomed the announcement by Minister Joe O'Brien.

“I understand that funding has been approved by the Department for four new full-time posts to manage and run this new Visitor Experience. The recruitment process will begin straight away.

“This project previously received capital funding in the amount of €4 million from various departments including the Department of Rural and Community Development.

“The hub will open in spring 2024. It will provide a focal point for visitors to the Erris region. This will offer a range of services for the visitors including a café and a Gaeltacht Showcase where visitors can view and buy products from the local Gaeltacht regions.

“I was pleased to support this initiative from the beginning and I am delighted to see that from spring 2024, this Hub will be operational and I am sure that this will increase visitor numbers to the area”

CFID have also welcomed the announcement by Minister O’Brien.

They said the hub will provide an orientation point for visitors to the Mullet Peninsula, interpretating the heritage and culture of the area with a strong focus on the Irish language.

The Solas Visitor Experience and Tourism Hub was conceived by the local community who wanted to celebrate and interpret the history and culture of Blacksod and the Mullet Peninsula.

Údarás na Gaeltachta worked hand in hand with CFID to develop the concept for this strategic tourism facility which is located in one of the most rural and pristine sections of the Wild Atlantic Way. Visitors to Solas Visitor Experience and Tourism Hub will learn about the Mullet Peninsula and its offshore islands and hear stories of what it was like to live in a small coastal community on the edge of the Atlantic. They will learn about life on the nearby Inishgé islands and about the four lighthouses of Erris. They will also learn about the rich and rare biodiversity on the Mullet Peninsula and the surrounding seas, and how the area is now a unique gem on the island of Ireland for bird life, sea life, flora and fauna.