Shannon Heritage, Ireland’s largest tourist attraction operator, is delighted to announce that it has signed an agreement with Fingal County Council to manage the operation of Newbridge House and Farm in Donabate, Dublin.
The agreement will also see Shannon Heritage continue to manage Malahide Castle and Gardens for a further five years.
Shannon Heritage will have responsibility for the day to day running of Newbridge House with the primary focus being the development of a fully immersive interactive experience at the farm, a Corporate offering, a new retail store in the Visitor Centre and the redevelopment of the house. Newbridge House and Farm currently employs 10 staff and has welcomed over 70,000 visitors.
Shannon Heritage took on the management of Malahide Castle and Gardens in 2012. Since then Malahide Castle has undergone development including the opening of a new Visitor Centre in the old castle courtyard and opening the Botanical Walled Garden to the public for the first time. Since 2012, Malahide Castle and Gardens has grown its visitor numbers to 180,000 and it currently employs 30 staff.
Commenting on the agreement, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin said “Shannon Heritage is an excellent partner for Newbridge House and Farm. As a board member of Malahide Castle and Gardens, I am confident that they will assist Fingal County Council with our goal of growing visitor numbers to Newbridge House and Farm and will continue the excellent work that has been done so far with Malahide Castle.”
Niall O’Callaghan, MD of Shannon Heritage said “We are delighted to be taking on the operation of Newbridge House and Farm which we see as a natural fit with our existing portfolio of seven attractions nationally where we have doubled visitor numbers in just four years. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Fingal County Council and growing visitor numbers to Newbridge House and Farm. This perfectly fits with our strategy to develop compelling and stimulating visitor experiences aimed at the target market segments as identified by Failte Ireland.
Niall O’Callaghan continued “Also we are really excited to be able to continue managing the award winning Malahide Castle and Gardens for a further five years. Thanks to our dedicated staff it has now become one of the most popular visitor attractions in Dublin. We have ambitious plans to continue developing the visitor experience at Malahide Castle and Gardens in partnership with Fingal County Council. Just last week we launched a magical Fairy Trail in the West Lawn and this will be followed by the Butterfly House launch in July.”
Fingal County Council Chief Executive, Paul Reid said “We are delighted that Shannon Heritage will be managing the operation of Newbridge House and Farm. Since Shannon Heritage took over the management of Malahide Castle the attraction has undergone several improvements and has seen its visitor numbers increase significantly. With Shannon Heritage’s marketing and management expertise we are really looking forward to exciting times ahead for Newbridge House and Farm and Malahide Castle and Gardens.”
A full suite of on-going events will be developed for both Newbridge House and Farm and Malahide Castle and Gardens.