*Quin Abbey, Quin, County Clare, Ireland.
CLARE County Council has expressed support for promoting Quin Abbey through Visit Clare and other tourism channels, following a call to raise the profile of the historic site.
The issue was raised by Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) at the September meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, where he asked the council to include Quin Abbey on visitclare.ie to help promote tourist attractions across the district.
In a written response, Acting Senior Executive Officer for Tourism Theresa Hughes Lannon said the council recognised Quin Abbey as a significant historic and cultural attraction.
However, responsibility for the management and operation of the site rests with the Office of Public Works (OPW), and it is not under the council’s direction or control.
Ms Hughes Lannon said Clare County Council, through its Tourism Department and Visit Clare, supported ensuring Quin Abbey and other visitor attractions in the Killaloe Municipal District received appropriate visibility through destination-marketing and promotional channels.
The council also said it would continue working with the OPW, local communities and other stakeholders to support the promotion of Quin Abbey and the wider tourism offering in County Clare.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr O’Callaghan welcomed the response and said more could be done to promote the site, particularly given recent work by Heritage Quin.
He highlighted a QR code system launched at the site, saying it had recorded more than 400 hits during the first few weeks of July and offered information in six languages.
Cllr O’Callaghan said the system showed that visitors were engaging with the site and that greater promotion could help attract more people to the area.
“We need to promote what we have here in East Clare,” he said.
Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District Cllr Conor Ryan (FG), who seconded the motion, acknowledged the work carried out by the Heritage Quin community group in getting the initiative off the ground.
He said the area had “religious architecture on our doorstep” and called for greater promotion of East Clare’s heritage.
Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) also supported the call, saying he was in favour of “anything to support tourism in Clare”.
The council clarified in its written response that it does not operate a Tourist Information Office. The Ennis Tourist Information Centre, located within Clare Museum, is part of Fáilte Ireland’s network of tourist information centres.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
