Fingal County Council has approved an €18 million tourism investment for North County Dublin.
Swords Castle has been reopened as part of the plan, and a new sightseeing route and cultural quarter are also being developed.
Mayor of Fingal, Councillor David O’Connor spoke about his pride in seeing Swords Castle open to the public again after many years of closure:
"In 1994 a man called Leo Swan, who is an archaeologist, had a dream as to what he would do with that because it's a cracking specimen of a walled enclosure building. That was in 1994 and even he said then that it would take 25 to 30 years to properly develop it. So here we are 21 years in and there's a big, big investment going into that whole area."
It's estimated that visitors to Fingal currently contribute €500 million a year to the local economy, and also sustain 20,000 jobs.
This new tourism strategy will not only improve the current tourist attractions, but will also add new facilities to the area:
"Once you put investment in, you always get a return on jobs...We've no theatre in Swords at the moment. We'd love to see a theatre. That brings people in. You have to invest."
So with the plans underway Councillor O'Connor aims "to keep our eye on the ball, to spend the money wisely, and not on vanity projects, but on good projects that will attract people into the place and will also benefit the people who live in the community themselves."
