MP calls for Ancient East tour region to include Down

MP calls for Ancient East tour region to include Down

1 July 2020

MARKETING a large swathe of East Down on an all-island basis would help produce a significant boost for local tourism, according to South Down MP Chris Hazzard.

He has asked Stormont tourism minister Diane Dodds to work with tourism agencies on either side of the border to extend Ireland’s Ancient East Tourism region to include a large part of Down District.

Mr Hazzard was responding to the publication of the tourism minister’s ‘economic recovery strategy’ and believes that such a move would help the South Down tourism industry recover from Covid-19 and help mitigate “the looming Brexit shock”.

Mr Hazzard argues that it’s “ludicrous” that Failte Ireland’s ‘Ancient East’ tourism region stops in Louth, excluding the historically significant north-east region of the island. 

He said that a large part of East Down was the playground for Cú Chulainn and Fionn Mac Cumhaill “with the landscape forever marked by St Patrick’s legacy, surrounded by shoreline that welcomed Vikings, Planters and the Normans.”

The MP said that in Downpatrick, there are the graves of the patron saint and Viking King Magnus.

He continued: “We have the impressive Downpatrick and Co Down Railway Museum, the only working heritage railway in the North which stretches out to the historic Inch Abbey. 

“Under the shadow of Down Cathedral, we have the only St Patrick’s visitor exhibition in the world, with the nearby Down County Museum located in the historic buildings of the 18th century gaol where United Irish leader, Thomas Russell, was executed in 1803.”

Mr Hazzard said the northern side of Downpatrick was surrounded by the Mound of Down, Finnebrogue Wood and the stunning Quoile Nature Reserve, with Delamont Country Park completing the short journey to the shores of Strangford Lough where the Vikings first landed. 

“To the east lies Struell Wells and St Patrick’s first church at Saul, a unique site known widely as the cradle of christianity in Ireland,” the MP continued, insisting it is “simply unacceptable that this rich heritage would be a victim of partitionism of the very worst kind.”

Mr Hazzard said local tourism providers had been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many very worried about the impact of Brexit and “needless bureaucratic hurdles”.

He continued: “Undoubtedly, they need to be supported in the years ahead and I have have written to the tourism minister asking her to look seriously at this opportunity.

“Now is the time to extend the ‘Ancient East’ region and also the Wild Atlantic Way coastal route into the north to encompass all that is worth seeing on the island of Ireland.

He added: “Quite simply, it is the best way to successfully mitigate the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on the local tourism industry.”