We are delighted to announce that EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum was awarded the Best Entrepreneurial Tourism Innovation Award at 2019 Irish Tourism Industry Awards. The Awards, organised by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, gathered the ‘crème de la crème’ of the Irish tourism industry, announcing 15 winning companies as best in their category from 75 shortlisted finalists.
Aer Lingus, Cliffs of Moher and St. Patrick’s Festival were among the winners at the Irish Tourism Awards and a special recognition award was presented to Willie Walsh, CEO, International Airlines Group.
The Award to EPIC was presented by Brian Gallagher, Head of Business Aviation Development at Cork Airport to Aileesh Carew, Director of Sales and Marketing of EPIC.
The judges commented that EPIC had made a significant contribution to the tourism offering in Dublin and that EPIC the Irish Emigration Museum is an example of changing the way museums are being portrayed as history is brought to life in a fun and interactive way.
Receiving the Best Entrepreneurial Tourism Innovation award, Aileesh Carew, said. “We are honoured by this special recognition and thank ITIC and the Irish Tourism Industry Awards without whom the success of the industry would not be continuously encouraged and celebrated, as it is this evening. The award means a lot to the team at EPIC and we hope will help continue to attract both national and international visitors.
Opened on May 7th, 2016, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is a state-of-the-art interactive experience located in the beautiful vaults of the 1820 Custom House Quarter building in Dublin’s Docklands, the original departure point for so many of Ireland’s emigrants. It will inspire and guide you on a journey to discover the stories of Irish emigration around the world, from early times to the modern day. EPIC is a popular destination for schools around Ireland to visit, as well as schools from as far afield as France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The touch-screen technology in the museum makes the EPIC experience an accessible and educational way for visitors to learn about Irish history, culture and people.
Every major region in the world is featured. With 70 million people now claiming Irish heritage and ancestry, there are also tales from Australia, Britain, Canada, continental Europe, New Zealand, Latin America and around the globe. EPIC looks at the reasons why people left and explores how the Irish shaped the world they found.
The museum itself is in the vaults of the newly-restored CHQ building, originally a wine and tobacco warehouse, which dates back to 1820. EPIC also houses a state-of-the-art genealogy centre, the Irish Family History Centre, to help visitors explore their Irish ancestry. During a visit earlier this year, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau discovered his County Cork roots, dating from the 17th century.
EPIC was shortlisted for the prestigious Children in Museums Award and for the European Museum of the Year Award 2018. National Geographic Traveler recently chose EPIC among its Top 10 Things to Do – “It’s simply too good of a story to miss”.
For further information please contact Aileesh Carew acarew@epicchq.com.
