Bunclody Town has a rich heritage and it was felt that this could be further promoted. It was also recognised that there is a need to provide in-door facilities so that visitors have things to do when the weather is inclement. Some suggestions included a historical Museum. This could possibly be located in one of the vacant buildings in the Town. This could include a photographic exhibition and artefacts representing Bunclody’s history. Reference was made to ‘Enniscorthy Castle’ and how successfully this has promoted Enniscorthy’s heritage. Another excellent example is the ‘St Conall’s Museum and Heritage Centre’ in a small village called Glenties, County Donegal. According to the Rough Guide of Ireland it is one of the best small-Town museums in the country and displays much material of local interest, focusing on wildlife, Donegal’s railways, antiquities, and the effects of the Great Famine. It also holds a Summer School in late July, attracting hundreds of people to its exhibitions, seminars and literary debates.
The river Slaney runs through the Town of Bunclody and is a very attractive natural asset for the Town.
“Until the late 1960s, the Slaney was perhaps the primary Irish spring salmon river and one of the best in Europe, but since then has seen a serious decline in the number of fish running the river to the extent that the river had to be closed for a number of years and is now catch and release only as stock levels are below conservation limits.” (www.slaneyrivertrust.ie).
There was uncertainty around fishing licences and where people are allowed to fish on the river Slaney. It was thought that there is a catch and release policy in place and that licences can be obtained locally.
Fishing is a potentially attractive tourist facility that could be offered in the area however, further research is required to ascertain on what basis it could be made available to visitors staying in the Town.
There are also fishing opportunities for tourists in Enniscorthy and due to the close proximity between the two Towns this could very easily be promoted as a half day / full day activity for those staying in Bunclody. There is free fishing downstream of Enniscorthy Bridge and there are good stocks of brown trout on the river Slaney.
Other opportunities to utilise the river was discussed and it was thought that watersports including kayaking could be developed. However, in the short term utilising existing established organisations would be most effective. There is the Tullow Kayak Club that offers training sessions and river trips for children and adults. There is also a company called Slaney Adventure which offers kayak trips to those on holiday in the area or summer camps for children aged 8 to 17 years of age.
There are a wealth of historic houses
and gardens within close proximity to Bunclody including:
- Newtownbarry House
- Altamount Gardens
- Huntington Castle
- Borris Castle
- Lucy’s Wood Garden
- Tombrick Gardens
These gardens are members of either the Wexford or Carlow Garden Trails that are widely publicised nationally through websites or in brochures. It was recognised that because Bunclody is located on the border between Co. Carlow and Co. Wexford, visitors are not always aware of the gardens in close proximity to the Town.
It was felt very important that all of these attractions should be jointly publicised to visitors who are staying in Bunclody or the neighboring area.
It was acknowledged that the Blackstairs Mountains have huge tourism potential which is currently under-developed and not promoted significantly either within the Town or to the domestic / international visitor. It was felt that there is considerable scope to offer 1 day tours using a mini bus or through a business model like Hook Safari that operates on the Hook Peninsula.
Walking:
Bunclody is surrounded by mountains which are easily accessible from the Town. WLD has delivered a series of walking trail training programmes over the last 18 months involving 16 communities around the county including Bunclody. There are a series of well-developed walks near Bunclody including Kilbrannish Loop; Coolmelagh Loop and Mount Leinster.
Bunclody is also situated just 5 km from the end of the Wicklow Way in Clonegal. This is a popular long distance walking trail over 127 km long which continues up to South Dublin. There is also the South Leinster Way that starts near Bunclody and this is a long distance walking route which runs from Kildavin, Co. Carlow to Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Tipperary covering 102 km in length. The predominant features in the landscape are Mount Leinster, Brandon Hill and the river valleys of the Barrow, Nore and Suir.
It was recognised that walking trails are one of the Town’s major tourist assets which are currently under-developed. It was felt there was scope to develop these further through advancing new trails; more promotion of the existing trails and also encouraging guided walking trails. There is a company called Blackstairs Eco Trails, based in Borris which offers Eco Trails, Guided Hikes, Workshops, Foraging, Foraging Hen Events, Teachers Courses, School Visits, Childrens’ Trails and Fun in the Wild. Links could be developed with this company to identify if guided walking tours could be made available to visitors staying in Bunclody. Annual events could also be designed around foraging or other eco themes.