The proposal summarizes plans to develop a new visitor center and interpretive exhibits at Dunluce Castle and the adjacent historic village site. Key points include: - Preserving existing facilities and using new exhibits to educate visitors on the historic castle and village ruins. - The center would have three exhibit spaces on the village and castle history, a classroom, cafe, and parking. Limited public access to ongoing archaeological work. - Exhibits would cover the village layout, castle inhabitants, and wider historical context. Facilities would accommodate groups and conferences. - Increased visitors projected to 200,000 annually based on nearby sites. Marketing and educational programs outlined to attract visitors. - Business plan aims for

1. Dunluce Castle and Village
Visitor Centre Proposal - Group Five

2. Sunset over Dunluce Castle

3. Site Context
●'Northern Ireland’s most iconic historical
site.' (Breen, Murray, Reid and Robinson, 2011)
●History dating back to the early medieval
period.
●Castle, built in the late fifteenth century
and abandoned in the late seventeenth.
●Adjacent settlement last excavated in
January 2012, which comprises some
medieval buildings and a seventeenth
century village.

4. Aurora Borealis over Dunluce Castle

5. Our Aim
To preserve existing facilities, and use a new
interpretative centre to engage with, and
further develop visitor understanding of, this
historic site.

6. Historical Assessment - Castle
●Pre-Norman inhabitation
(souterrain).
●Castle dates to late 15th
century.
●Expanded and took current
form 1600-1636.

7. Historical Assessment - Village
●Sir Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl establishes the
village in 1608.
●The settlement included cobbled streets, with
houses on either side.
●Blacksmith's workshop- located at the
junction of two streets, constituted a social
area within the community.
●St Cuthbert's Church- built on site of previous
Anglo-Norman church in early 1600s.

8. ● Other principal village buildings and features:
mill, court-house, the 'pound', 'diamond' area
which served as market-place.
● Dunluce village fair: typical fair of period,
continued after castle and village
abandonment until the 1740s.

9. Historical Assessment - Inhabitants
●MacQuillans (the Route).
●Sorley Boy MacDonnell.
●Sir Randal MacDonnell (Ist
Earl of Antrim).
●Sir Randal MacDonnell
(1st Marquess of Antrim)
and Katherine MacDonnell
(née Villiers).
Lady Katherine Manners
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

10. Genealogy of the MacDonnell family

11. Historical Assessment - Wider themes
●Scoto-Irish history - The Route, the Glynns
and Lairds of the Isles.
●Plantation of Ulster - MacDonnell resistance
and involvement.
●Spanish armada- La Girona wrecked off
north coast in 1588.
●Irish Rebellion 1641 - village razed.

12. Wreck of la Girona

13. Historical Assessment - post-1690
●MacDonnells
impoverished after
Jacobite uprising.
●18th century - castle
falls into disrepair,
Dunluce Fair.
●19th century -ruins
begin to feature in
art/tourism
●1928 - castle moves
into state care.

14. The Proposal
●An interpretative centre, with three
exhibition spaces, classroom/conferencing
facilities, cafeteria, toilets, and park-and-
ride, constructed in as environmentally
friendly manner as possible.
●Limited public access to archaeological
work, with some work preserved in situ.
●Full visitor access to castle.

15. The Centre - Exhibits
●Exhibition Space One: Permanent exhibit,
focusing on the village.
●Exhibition Space Two: Permanent exhibit,
dealing with the history of the castle and
its inhabitants.
●Exhibition Space Three: Temporary
exhibitions, broadly aimed at exploring the
wider historical context of the site.
●Potential exhibits: La Girona, pre-
Plantation Ulster, other travelling exhibits.

16. The Centre - Facilities
●Classroom/conferencing facilities: Space
for up to 50 people, aimed at school groups
and small conferences.
●Cafeteria: To provide refreshments, snacks
and light meals for visitors.
●Park-and-ride: Limited parking facilities to
reduce ecological impact on site.
●Gift shop: Souvenirs and educational items.

17. The Excavation
●Archaeological work to continue, with some
pieces preserved in situ to engage public
interest and help them understand the work
being carried out.
●Public access limited to where it will not
interfere with ongoing excavation.
●Funded by ongoing excavation work

18. The Castle
●Preservation work to continue.
●No signage, except where required for
health and safety,in order to preserve
integrity of the building.
●Information sheets available from visitor
centre to convey information.
●Free app available to enhance multimedia
experience.

19. The Visitor Experience
●Individual visitors able to visit exhibition
spaces during opening hours, as well some
areas of the excavation.
●Group tours of castle at specific times.
●Groups able to visit the exhibits, and take a
guided tour of the castle, with curriculum
specific worksheets available, and guided
tours of the excavation where appropriate.

20. Public Interest
Visitor figures from comparable and nearby
attractions allow us to project an increased
number of visitors:
Average visitors 2005-2010
Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge: 215 649
Carrickfergus Castle: 61 563
Dunluce Castle: 70 905
Giant's Causeway: 610 087
Potential Dunluce visitors: 200 000+

21. The North Coast
Map of Causeway Coast and surrounds

22. The North Coast
●10% of all tourist accommodation in NI
located in Coleraine Borough Council area.
●Adjacent areas (Ballymoney, Coleraine,
Limavady, Magherafelt and Moyle) have 16%
(3 873 beds).
●Pre-established second home and caravan
destination.

23. Projected Difficulties
●Ecological impact.
●Capital expenditure/start-up costs.
●Preserving castle/site with increased
number of visitors.
●Interference with archaeology.

24. Business Plan
●Funding model.
●Conferencing facilities, hire, café allow site
to be self-financing by second financial
year.
●Limited overheads: sustainability built-in,
leading to lower utility costs.
●Marketing strategy: social media, initial
media campaign.

25. Capital expenditure
●Building, fitting,start-up costs.(£735,000)
●Initial marketing campaign. (£50,000)
●Multimedia costs. (£15,000)

26. Initial funding
●Start-up cost covered by grant.
●Facilities allow site to become self-
financing.

27. Operating expenditure
●Labour costs. (£387,000)
●Technology/utilities. (£48,200)
●Maintenance. (£80,000)

28. Income
●Tickets (£520,000)
●Café (£156,000)
●Gift shop (£100,000)
●Conferencing (£19,000)
●Hire (£4,500)
●Outside events

29. Marketing
●Take same approaches as those used by NI
Tourist Board, NI Museum Services etc.
●Targeted audience - newspapers, radio,
target Ireland and UK, particularly
Scotland.
●Website with apps in foreign languages
●Full social media presence

30. Governmental agencies and boards
●Northern Ireland Tourist Board
●Discover Northern Ireland
●Ulster Scots Agency

31. Advertising Campaign
●Print Media
●Radio Advertising
●Promotional Literature
●Educational booklets

32. Education
●Primary school groups - curriculum sections
'The World Around Us' and 'Life in Early
Times'.
●AS modules 'Spain and Europe (1556-1592)'
'Anglo-Spanish relations (1509-1609)'.
●A2 modules 'England (1570-1603)' 'Ireland
(1607-1691)'.
●Early modern history/archaeology.

33. Web Presence
●New Website
●Social Media

34. Thank You
Patrick Burns
James Fretwell
John Mc Caul
Eleanor McCartan
Stuart Mathieson
Alex Newton