Minister hails Carrick-on-Suir's Tides of Time centre as 'exceptional heritage project'
Tourism Minister Peter Burke officially opened the visitor centre that celebrates the rich history and culture of Carrick-on-Suir and its hinterland
The official opening of Carrick-on-Suir's Tides of Time Visitor Centre by Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD last Thursday, July 23 marked the culmination of seven years of fundraising, planning and upgrading of the town's heritage centre.
The €750,000 revamp of Carrick Heritage Centre, which finished in May, has transformed the town's museum in the historic former St Nicholas Church of Ireland off Main Street into a world-class interpretive visitor centre for tourists and local people.
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The Tides of Time Visitor Centre showcases the rich history and culture of Carrick-on-Suir and its hinterland through a combination of artefacts, memorabilia and audio-visual interpretive displays including touchscreen technology.
Highlights include an interactive talking portrait of 19th-century Carrick-on-Suir writer Dorothea Herbert, powered by AI and based on her own writings; a reconstruction of the study of acclaimed Carrick poet and author Michael Coady, and a series of displays exploring the history and development of Carrick-on-Suir from its early origins and medieval times to the present day.
The visitor centre celebrates the town's social history ranging from its traditions of fishing and trading on the Suir and former industries like the Plunder & Pollack tannery to famous citizens like the Clancy Brothers, GAA founder Maurice Davin and renowned cyclists Sean Kelly and Sam Bennett.
It also includes a gift shop and café, run by Three Bridges Coffee, and oral history archive of Carrick people's memories of various aspects of the town's social history.
In his address at the opening ceremony, Minister Burke praised the Tides of Time centre as a “really strong statement” from Carrick-on-Suir on its offering for tourism. He described it as an “exceptional heritage project” and believed it will “absolutely do so well”.
He said a project like this really demonstrated how important tourism is to local communities.
“One of the areas I am really focusing on as Minister for Tourism is growing our less mature markets.
“I think it's so important that we really resource local communities, working in partnership with local voluntary organisations. That type of partnership which we see here in Carrick-on-Suir is so important. It's the lifeblood of our communities.
“A project of this scale using Just Transition Funding in partnership with the Irish government, and the community doing so much themselves, as you can see here, really demonstrates how important volunteers are to our society and community in every walk of life.
He said the Government will always be a willing partner to those who want to make their communities better places.
Carrick-on-Suir Tourism & Economic Development Committee Chairman Tony Musiol recalled how the redevelopment of Carrick Heritage Centre into a state-of-the-art tourism attraction was one of the 13 projects proposed in the Carrick-on-Suir Strategic Vision 2030 economic and tourism plan published by COSTEDC in 2016.
He said Tipperary County Council's approval of the Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme funded by the Rural Regeneration Development Fund was a major catalyst to achieving some of the plan's aims.
The transformation of the interior of the building into Tides of Time visitor centre cost €441,000 was funded by a €352,000 grant from Fáilte Ireland through its Just Transition Fund. The balance of the funding was raised by Carrick-on-Suir Development Association, he outlined.
“We also had significant building works to prepare the building for the Tides of Time. More than €250,000 was raised locally and internationally to fund it. We would like to thank the donors, the people of Carrick-on-Suir, the John O'Shea Trust, the Burke Trust, the Ireland Fund and Kelcy Warren of Castletown Cox Estate.”
Mr Musiol paid tribute to the work of Carrick-on-Suir Commercial & Tourism Manager Sarah Jane Clery, who was hired in 2023 to lead the town's tourism development, to establish Explore Carrick-on-Suir as a brand and to build strong community support for the concept of the Tides of Time.
Mr Musiol noted Carrick-on-Suir was situated in the “heart of outstanding attractions” within a 25-mile radius including the Lingaun Valley, the Comeragh Mountains, Curraghmore Estate, Ormond Castle, the Suir Blueway. The jewel in the crown was Ormond Castle, Ireland’s finest Tudor mansion.
Carrick-on-Suir Development Association Chairman Niall Walsh, also praised Ms Clery as the key person in the Tides of Time project from start to finish.
He recalled how COSDA took over the former St Nicholas Church in the late 1980s when it was just a ruin with no roof or windows and the graveyard was a wilderness.
He said the late Michael Coady and the late Hugh Ryan had a vision of what this place could become and Carrick-on-Suir Development Association took on the challenge, restored the church and opened the heritage centre in 1991.
He paid tribute to Patsy Fitzgerald, who was curator of the centre for over 30 years and thanked the former FÁS and Department of Social Protection for funding the Community Employment Scheme members who worked the heritage centre for years.
Mr Walsh detailed some of the exhibitions and attractions at the new Tides of Time visitor centre and thanked Fáilte Ireland and the Just Transition team for the funding support.
He said the goal of Tides of Time manager Dr Rachel Finnegan, staff and volunteers is to showcase Ormond Castle, the Suir Blueway and now the Tides of Time visitor centre.
“We expect and hope to increase visitor numbers to the town by a factor of five over five years. Carrick-on-Suir is up for the challenge with Tides of Time at the heart of it all. It's an amazing attraction, no longer hidden.”
Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Kieran Bourke, who welcomed Minister Burke to his hometown, said he was honoured to chair the district at such an exciting time when so many fantastic projects are happening in Carrick-on-Suir.
“Tens of millions of euro are being provided by the Government from the public purse and used to enhance our town and make it a better place for us to live and work in. Tides of Time Visitor Centre is one of those projects.”
Fáilte Ireland CEO Caroline Broquel said Tides of Time was a wonderful visitor centre praised its accessibility to tourists who like to dip in and out of the heritage and culture of the places they visit.
She said part of what was so exciting about the project was the way the centre has embraced digital technology as visitors now like to have a digital experience as well as being able to touch things
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Chairman Cllr Patsy Glennon, which manages the EU Just Transition Fund said the Tides of Time centre was a perfect example of what the Fund is all about, which is supporting communities as they build new opportunities for the future, including creating new jobs and strengthening the economy while honouring the heritage, people, writers and artists who have shaped the region.