•Objective:
To avail of the opportunity to attract some of the large number of visitors to our county into a welcoming and interesting Castleisland Town and extended District. We need to create more experiences to make it worth their time to come and visit.
Linking in with the concept of a Civic Centre for Castleisland- the development of the Con Houlihan/Castleisland District/Sliabh Luachra Museum and Exhibition Centre in the Civic Centre to show case in one place the history that has been documented in many archives by Con Houlihan, The Castleisland District Historical Society/Micheal Donohoe Literary Foundation, The PJ Teahan Handed Down Musical Archives, World Fiddle Day, Timothy Murphy Photographic Collection, Rob McGuire’s The Castle on the Island documentary (the Castle itself is in need of maintenance/development work to make it safe as a visitor attraction) and of course the proud Social and Sporting history of a sports mad region and County. The adjacency to the Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence adds to the appeal of adding a (Kerry) GAA Museum to the offering.
• To connect the Diaspora back to their roots we would propose a tri annual county wide mid-summer Gathering Event promoted by each Chamber, Tourism Bodies and Kerry County Council. The 800th Anniversary of the Town offers a tremendous opportunity to showcase the Town nationally and internationally.
. • Provision of equipment to run local festivals and events to bring people back into the town and local villages and on to the streets in an outdoor setting.
• The heritage of Sliabh Luachra brings the very best of musicians, singers, dancers and poets, plus thousands of enthusiasts, who come here for the unique Immersive Traditional Music experience along with the ambience of the real Rural, Rustic, Authentic, Castleisland Region and Sliabh Luachra Countryside. The Immersive Traditional experience, most sought after by tourists, is not something one captures in a Museum/Exhibition Centre (which only acts as a focal marketing point) but is to be experienced in the many towns and villages in the region, which are already well equipped with Rambling Houses, and Walking Trails. This already adds enormously to the economy of the area, but it needs to be up marketed and sold as a Tourism product, complementing, the tourism and heritage offerings already existing in the Castleisland Area, such as Crag Caves, the Glenageenty Walks and the Con Houlihan Trail. The Sliabh Luachra Region and Trail concept, the Padraig O'Caoimh Festival, along with the Handed Down Series and World Fiddle Day - all need to be strongly marketed and signposted where necessary, with physical landmarks around which walking trails and events (fleadh cheoil) can be organised to capture all that is good in the cultural heritage of our Region.
• The much-admired Glounsharoon viewing vista has now been developed to a standard becoming of such an awe-inspiring elevated viewing place – it is the first view for many visitors to our county of the majestic nature of what’s on offer in the Kingdom. • On the same theme the floral/plant décor of the Roundabouts on the Castleisland by-pass also require upgrading to a standard more in line with the roundabouts located at the entrances to our neighbouring Towns of Tralee and Killarney.
• The road signage on the Castleisland by-pass needs to be clearer at the access points to Castleisland. While the by-pass has solved the street traffic problem, it has also made it easier for potential customers to by-pass businesses in the Town. We need to recapture that business (commercial and tourism) with some compelling signage. On the Limerick approach road at Dooneen, the sign says only ‘Oilean Ciarrai’.
• Two proposed Greenways to link Castleisland
•To Tralee to be given immediate serious consideration, as it is a relatively low-cost project investment, linking the Castleisland/Sliabh Luachra Region to the WAW, via Ballyseedy Woods, Ballygarry Estate and the Limerick/North Kerry Greenway, coming together in Tralee, and incorporates easy access to the very popular Glenageenty Walking Trails, and from there to the well-known Lyreacrompane Region and Walkways – Rural Ireland at its very best.
• As a second phase along the old railway track to Gortatlea, along the River Maine to Castlemaine and onwards via the proposed South Kerry Greenway to Caherciveen, Valentia Island and South Kerry.
•To cater for the bag pack tourist the area needs to increase its stock of fully serviced Glamping and Camper Van accommodation.
•The stock of Guesthouse, Airbnb, and Farmhouse accommodation needs to grow to accommodate the 'experience' seeking visitor.
Sliabh Luachra includes
- Castleisland District: Ballymacelligott, Brosna, Castleisland, Cordal, Currow, Knocknagoshel, Scartaglin:
- Gneeveguilla, Rathmore, Kilcummin, Glenflesk, (Kerry) Ballydesmond, Kiskeam, Knocknagree, Cullen, Boherbue, Rockchapel, (Cork) and Abbeyfeale, Mountcollins, and Tournafulla/Templeglantine in Limerick