Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, and Vandeleur Walled Gardens and Visitor Centre announced a new retail partner, The Kilkenny Group. These three sites welcome over 1.7 million local and international visitors annually and include some of Ireland’s most iconic visitor attractions.
This partnership merges The Kilkenny Group’s dedication to championing Irish design and craftsmanship with the rich historical and cultural heritage of these iconic County Clare sites. This synergy aligns perfectly with the Kilkenny Group’s mission to become the leading destination and advocate for Irish design and craft on an international scale. This collaboration promises to enhance the visitor experience, promote local and Irish design and elevate the global presence of Irish culture.
To support this new venture, some thirty-five new colleagues have joined the Kilkenny Design team, bringing the total number of Kilkenny Design employees to two hundred and fifty.
Evelyn Moynihan, CEO of Kilkenny Design, commented: “We are very excited about the opportunities this partnership presents. It is a testament to our commitment to supporting local based enterprises and showcasing the best of Irish design and heritage and we are delighted to welcome the Clare retail colleagues into our team. We have long admired the retail experiences built up over time at the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle and folk park and believe we can learn a lot from our new retail colleagues and their expertise “.
Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, added: “Following a competitive tendering process, we were delighted to appoint The Kilkenny Group as the retail operator at Cliffs of Moher Experience, Bunratty Castle & Folk Park and Vandeleur Walled Garden & Visitor Centre.
County Clare is home to some of the country’s most talented artisan and craft producers and local employment is supported through the sale of crafts on the retail shelves at Clare County Council tourism sites. Growing, enhancing and developing the range of local retail products at our tourism sites is central to the retail operations at our portfolio of visitor attractions. Utilising the Kilkenny Group’s 60 years of trading experience will continue the practice of providing an important showcase for local suppliers.”.
Siobhán McNulty, Director of Tourism Development Clare County Council, further added: “We very much welcome The Kilkenny Group’s commitment to invest in the retail operations at the three sites, which ties in with Clare County Council’s ongoing programme of investment in its portfolio of visitor attractions across Clare.
This supports our objective of ensuring a world class visitor experience while supporting local employment and business at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, Bunratty Castle & Folk Park and the new retail experience which will open at Vandeleur Walled Gardens and Visitor Centre during 2025”.
We are delighted to formally announce this partnership on Green Friday. As champions of supporting Irish businesses, the Kilkenny Group’s Champion Green initiative continues to inspire people to shop locally and use local services and The Kilkenny Group looks forward to championing this message for Clare-based businesses. The Kilkenny Group remains committed to collaborating with existing suppliers and is enthusiastic about forming new partnerships through this exciting new role.