Huge rise in visitors to Clare Museum in 2013

A total of 28,947 people visited Clare Museum during 2013 making the year the busiest year since 2008. More than 3,000 extra visitors came to the museum during the year representing a 12.5% increase on 2012, continuing an upward trend that began in 2011. While both ‘The Gathering’ and increased traffic into Shannon Airport, particularly from the United States, were important factors in this increase, a number of museum initiatives were hugely successful during the year also. Among these initiatives were public talks on the ‘Hidden History of Clare’ that attracted great interest locally during the winter and spring. Another was the ‘Festival of Poland’, a project designed to build a bridge between the museum and the largest ethnic minority in the county. Both of these initiatives have helped to broaden the museum’s potential audience. One of the outcomes of the Polish Festival was the launch of a Polish translation of the exhibition guide which will help promote the museum to the influx of visitors from Poland that is anticipated in the year ahead. Over the coming twelve months it is intended to provide another series of public talks and increase the number of educational events, exhibitions and community activities at the museum. Furthermore, it is planned to open six days per week from June to September for the first time since 2008 to facilitate the increase in tourists expected in the county in 2014.