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Tourism projects get cross border funding boost

News imageGetty Images The volcanic stones that make up the giants causeway, seen on a sunny bright day, with the sea on one side and rolling hills on the otherGetty Images
The Causeway Coastal Route spans Northern Ireland's north coast, home of the Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway, an exhibition showcasing the Bafta award-winning comedy Derry Girls and the Gobbins Cliff Path are among the tourist attractions awarded a share of almost €3m (£2.62m) of cross border funding.

A total of thirteen projects are to share the Shared Island Coast-to-Coast Investment Scheme funding, it was announced on Friday.

It aims to forge closer tourism links across the Wild Atlantic Way in the Republic of Ireland and the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said cross border connections are "a powerful driver of prosperity across both jurisdictions on the island."

Martin added: "Through the Shared Island Initiative, we are working to enhance and enable these connections and grow the all-island economy, including through sustainable tourism."

News imageChannel 4 Promotional shot of the cast of Derry Girls, featuring the five main characters all wearing a green school uniformChannel 4
The Derry Girls Experience showcases memorabilia from the comedy

Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said cross-border cooperation was key to boosting Northern Ireland's tourism sector.

"The funding will help attract more visitors, who will stay longer and spend more, boosting our regional economy and supporting our local communities," she said.

Launched in 2023, the cross border tourism scheme is funded by the Dublin government's Shared Island Fund.

News imageGetty Images A car being driven along a coastal road in Kinsale, County Cork, a cliff edge is on one of its sides, the sea on the other.Getty Images
The Wild Atlantic Way stretches from Kinsale, County Cork, to the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal

The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) Wild Atlantic Way is a tourism brand which currently stretches from Kinsale, County Cork, to the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland.

Northern Ireland's Causeway Coastal route spans 190 km (120 miles) from Londonderry to Belfast.

What are the 13 projects?

  • £250,000 for the Derry Girls Experience
  • £250,000 for the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre
  • €232,911 ( £203,000) for the Inishowen Maritime Museum
  • €112,000 ( £97,800) for Lough Gill Brewery, Sligo.
  • £57,442 for the Museum of Free Derry
  • €294,611 (£257,000) for Oakfield Park, County Donegal
  • £103,257 for The Courthouse, Bushmills
  • £200,000 for The Gobbins, Islandmagee
  • €177,732 (£155194) for The Model – Home of the Niland Collection, Sligo
  • €180,556 (£157,660) of funding for The Rose of Innisfree, Leitrim
  • €239,040 (£208,690) for The Workhouse, Dunfanaghy, Donegal
  • €186,014 (£162,000) for The Yeats Society, Sligo
  • €269,000 ( £234,000) for Wild Ireland, Donegal