Major revamp of Athlone Castle visitor experience planned

Westmeath County Council is seeking approval for the appointment of a design team for a major revamp of interpretation facilities and a 'visitor journey enhancement project' at Athlone Castle.

The local authority is seeking an architect-led design team to work on the enhancement project which will see the existing visitor experience being completely revamped to maximise the untapped potential of the iconic castle.

The closing date for the receipt of tenders is February 3 and the value of the contract is estimated at €400,000, excluding VAT. The Procurement Project is “fully or partially financed with EU Funds.”

Although Athlone Castle first opened a visitor attraction in 1991 to mark the Tercentenary of the Siege of Athlone, the visitor centre as we know it today was opened in 2012 having undergone extensive renovation works which began two years earlier.

The renovation cost €4.2 million - €2.07m of which came from the Fáilte Ireland Capital Grant with the balance funded by Athlone Town Council.

The final meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District for 2024 heard that visitor numbers to Athlone Castle were set to reach around 37,000 by the end of the year, the largest number since its major opening in 2012.

Worrying trends

Despite the steady year-on-year rise in visitors, however, some worrying trends were identified in a report which was commissioned by Fáilte Ireland in November 2020, on behalf of Athlone Arts & Tourism. Among its findings were:

1) Only 43% of visitors that enter the castle walls pay into the visitor centre.

2) Street level signage is poor and there is a lack of interpretation outside the castle.

3) There are no staff to meet visitors upon entering and the admissions area is not immediately obvious.

4) Average dwell time is just 23 minutes, across both free and paid entry.

The report said it was clear that the ‘free’ experience was “enough for many visitors” and “the existing visitor experience is not adequately communicated or even lacks appeal.”

Three distinct experiences

In the development of a 'Visitor Experience and Orientation Review and Action Plan for Athlone Castle, the company tasked with carrying out the review, Tandem Design, proposed that Athlone Castle be marketed to visitors as three distinct experiences:

1) Siege of Athlone Experiences

2) Athlone Museum

3) The History of the Castle

Tandem said the the benefits of offering three distinct visitor experiences would be extended dwell time inside the castle walls, increased value for money and improved visitor management.

They proposed the creation of multi-use spaces to tell the story of Athlone Castle and said they could provide “desirable outreach opportunities” such as workshop and gallery spaces for school groups and/or temporary exhibitions.

They also pointed out that these could also become “highly valuable spaces for hire” which would, in turn, become an important source of revenue for Athlone Castle.

The Tandem report said that by defining three separate offerings to visitors, the Athlone Castle visitor experience would have an improved focus, clarity and perceived value for money.

“They can select the experience that has greatest appeal or plan for a longer dwell time in the full knowledge of what is on offer,” it stated.

In relation to castle staff, the Tandem report said they would be able to “manage visitor capacities better,” particularly at peak times, by directing arriving visitors to the offering with the greatest amount of space at any given time.

The report also stresses that, as a “core component” of the Fáilte Ireland's Hidden Heartlands tourism offering, Athlone is “ideally placed” to deliver much of what is promised to both domestic and overseas visitors by the brand.

“By its nature, Athlone Castle has a critical part to play and the importance of offering a world-class visitor experience must not be under-estimated,” it states.

Feasibility study carried out

A Preliminary Feasibility Study carried out by Axo Architects in February 2024, who were working as part of the Tandem Design Team, examined a number of issues around the visitor experience at Athlone Castle including: initial visitor queuing and ticketing; ticketing/information point; Fáilte Ireland accommodation; maintenance space/staff facilities and an upgrade of existing male/female toilets.

Axo offered preliminary solutions and costs for the potential works required to bring the visitor experience up to a world-class standard, estimated the costs for the architectural elements of the visitor enhancement works at just over €1 million.

The Preliminary Feasibility Study described Athlone Castle as “a wonderful asset both to Athlone and 'The Hidden Heartlands' but added that it is “not capable of reaching its full potential” due to several “operational challenges” which were addressed in the study.

Council report also carried out

Westmeath County Council also prepared its own report on the visitor experience at Athlone Castle last December which set out the history and background of the historic building.

The report described the castle as the “signature visitor experience” in the town and surrounding region which plays a “significant role in the town's identity.”

The council report points out that the visual prominence of Athlone Castle “has diminished over time with surrounding developments and the dominance of vehicular traffic impinging on the quality of the public realm.”

The current Visitor Centre houses eight individual exhibition spaces, each of which depicts a different aspect of life in Athlone, the castle and the periods both before and after the famous Siege.

The space make use of interactives, touchable objects and educational narratives to engage visitors in the drama, tragedy and spectacle of the fascinating history of the Athlone Castle.

3D maps, audio-visual installations, illustrations and artefacts all form part of the Visitor Centre experience, and the Great Siege of Athlone is dramatically recreated in a 360-degree cinematic experience in the Keep.

Athlone Castle Visitor Centre is described in the council report as “a modern, engaging and fun family attraction” which harnesses the most significant architectural features, such as the keep, to act as a “dramatic backdrop” to the diverse and fascinating story of the castle.

The proposed Athlone Castle Interpretation, Facilities and Visitor Journey Enhancement Project will be co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU, and the appointment of a Design Team for the project is only the first step on what is likely be a long journey.