The Derry Girls Experience has been given a £250,000 funding boost as part of a cross-border tourism drive.
The investment in the attraction celebrating the hit TV comedy will be used to create a “new digital experience” to encourage visitors to engage with Derry Girls-related sites, props, and events across the city with the aim of becoming “TV’s biggest behind-the-scenes experience”.
The uplift is one part of a 2.7 million euro (£2.3 million) investment for a range of projects across the island of Ireland announced by Irish Premier Micheal Martin and Stormont Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald.
The developments aim to “strengthen the appeal of the attractions” and develop ties between the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route.
Organisations benefiting from the boost span counties Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim as well as counties Londonderry and Antrim.
In Northern Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre has been given £250,000 to enable “greater storytelling” focusing on the folklore and geology of the Giant’s Causeway, while the Courthouse in Bushmills, Co Antrim plans to create “new state-of-the-art interpretative displays, multilingual touchscreens, and inclusive design” with funding awarded.
In the Republic of Ireland the Yeats Society in Sligo town will become a multi-sensory experience linking W.B. Yeats to Sligo’s culture and landscape, while Wild Ireland in Donegal will build an indoor education centre offering immersive learning on the Celtic Rainforest.
The Taoiseach said cross-border cooperation “is a powerful driver of prosperity across both jurisdictions on the island”.
“Through the Shared Island Initiative, we are working to enhance and enable these connections and grow the all-island economy, including through sustainable tourism,” he said.
Ms Archibald highlighted that tourism “is an important economic sector for the north and one that I am committed to supporting”.
“The opportunities that come from collaboration north and south, in developing our all-island tourism offering is central to this,” she said.
“I welcome this funding to enhance some of our existing visitor attractions and experiences in Derry and Antrim, better connecting the Causeway Coastal Route and Wild Atlantic Way.
“The funding will help attract more visitors, who will stay longer and spend more, boosting our regional economy and supporting our local communities.”
The funding falls under the Shared Island Coast-to-Coast Investment Scheme.
The Coast-to-Coast Investment Scheme is part of the Shared Island Tourism Brand Collaboration Project being delivered by Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.
Derry Girls is a coming-of-age sitcom set in Derry in the 1990s. Created by Lisa McGee, it ran for three series on Channel 4 from 2018, proving a phenomenal ratings success.
