The winners of The Traitors Ireland, the hit RTÉ reality TV show, may be “traitor slayers” Vanessa Ogbonna, Kelley Higgins and Oyin Adeyemi.
But host venue Slane Castle and the surrounding area in Co Meath have proven to be another star of the show.
Local people want to capitalise on the popularity of the show and hope to reap the rewards of having had the popular traitors – and faithfuls – staying in their midst.
“It absolutely has to be good for Slane,” said Meath County Council Cathaoirleach Wayne Harding, whose family run the Village Inn there.
READ MORE
Harding said the programme had “replaced football as the main chat over pints at the bar”.
“Everyone was commenting on how well Slane looked, so it really has put the village on the map again for a tourist destination and not only as a rock concert venue,” he said.
In the council headquarters all the talk among staff was about whether “any of the contestants were staying in the village or if I had met Paudie”, he said of the popular contestant, the 68-year-old retired prison officer Paudie Moloney.
“It really got the country’s attention and it’s a bit early to say, but I’d bet visitor numbers will be up in the coming months because of the show.”
Slane Castle has introduced tours for the show’s fans, including a visit to “the conclave” where traitors deliberated on which faithful they would “murder” on episodes. It is situated in dungeons not previously opened for 40 years.
Filming the series in March created special memories for the castle’s owner Alex Conyngham of his late father Henry Mount Charles, who had marvelled at the interior renovations for the show just three months before he died.
“He walked around the castle and was just amazed at the sets, especially the round table,” Mr Conyngham said of the decorative wooden table where contestants met nightly to try to weed out a traitor.
“The castle was full of more electrical cables than for a Slane gig with all the cameras and lighting everywhere, and Dad was just delighted how they reinvented the interiors.”
The dungeon used to be a keg store for the castle’s one-time nightclub and was boarded until it was used for the conclave’s late-night “scenes of treachery and murder”.
“It’s an incredible space – completely silent and pitch dark, so it’s perfect for secret scheming,” he said.
It was important to Mr Conyngham and his family that the whole village of Slane and not just the castle reaped any benefits from the hit series.
“I’ve definitely noticed more people stopping at the gates of the castle and taking pictures and the hits on our website and calls to Rock Farm have also increased,” he said, referring to the castle’s organic farm.
He said he hoped the television programme showcased nearby attractions such as the Hill of Slane, kayaking on the river Boyne and Slane Distillery.
Although the castle is only open to events, Mr Conyngham and his wife Carina have recently opened their home to guests who stay in the castle’s bedrooms.
There is also a new “The Traitors Tour Afternoon Tea” experience.
“People enjoy afternoon tea in the ballroom and are given an envelope to say if they are a traitor or a faithful,” he said.
“They can then play a smaller version of the game as they take a tour of the castle and the rooms used in the series, including the infamous dungeon.”
Mr Conyngham even tried on a traitor’s cloak for size.
“You do develop a different persona underneath that hood,” he said with a laugh.
He would not be drawn on whether the castle would host another series.
“I’d be very hopeful; it’s highly likely because of its success, but I can’t confirm anything yet,” he said.
“From a young age we have been used to being sworn to secrecy about concerts at the castle, so we have no problem keeping secrets when it comes to the Traitors Ireland.”
