Downpatrick man behind emigration attraction in Dublin

Downpatrick man behind emigration attraction in Dublin

11 May 2016

A FORMER Downpatrick man is the driving force behind a new interactive visitor experience charting the history of Irish emigrants around the world which has opened in Dublin.

Epic Ireland explains the history of Irish emigration using 20 interactive galleries that tell the story of more than 300 Irish people who made a name for themselves abroad.

The list includes Che Guevara, whose ancestors came from Galway, and Grace Kelly, whose grandfather was a bricklayer from Mayo. Visitors can also discover their own family heritage on site with a genealogist searching personal records online and providing DNA testing.

The exhibition is the brainchild of Neville Isdell, a 72-year-old millionaire who was born in Downpatrick but whose parents left Ireland in the 1950s for Zambia.

Mr Isdell, who is the former chairman and chief executive of the Coca-Cola Company, has lived all over the world but has not resided in Ireland for more than 60 years.

“Over the years I have thought about what might be the best way to tell the stories of Irish people with different backgrounds who left these shores and made a unique mark upon the world,” he said.

“We have the answer in the vaults of the CHQ building, told with the latest digital technology, amazing interactivity, plus world-class ideas and design all put together through incredibly hard work.’’

It was designed by Epic Ireland, the company responsible for the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.

It will be opened today at a reception featuring Fidget Feet Aerial Dance, an experimental dance company, and attended by Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland.

“What has been achieved here in this Epic Ireland exhibition is an incredible experience for all of us, which will enhance our connection with those who emigrated down the years, and enrich our collective sense of Irishness,” Ms Robinson said yesterday.

Tickets for the Epic Ireland experience cost €16 for adults and €8 for children with discounts available for families, groups, pensioners, students and the unemployed. Entry for children under the age of six is free.