THE new visitor centre at Bru na Boinne will relieve pressure from rapidly increasing tourist numbers on Newgrange and other archaeological monuments in the Boyne Valley, according to the Minister for Arts and Culture, Mr Higgins.
At yesterday's official opening of the £7 million centre - just south of the bend in the Boyne - he said it would also "go a long way" towards encouraging visitors to stay longer in the area, boosting demand for goods and services.
One of the principal objections against the centre was that it would draw business away from nearby towns, notably Slane. Another concern was that it would present an "exclusivist" views of the Boyne Valley, concentrating on its prehistoric archaeology at the expense of other elements.
But a press release issued yesterday said its display material would encourage an east-west visitor flow along the valley, taking in medieval Drogheda, Mellifont Abbey, Tullyallen, Donore, Slane, Tara, Bective Abbey, Trim Castle and Loughcrew as well as the Battle of the Boyne.
The ceremony was picketed by a large and vocal group of protesters against Meath County Council's planned "superdump", which may be located either at Skryne, near the Hill of Tara, or Kentstown, off the Slane road. They even hired a cherry-picker crane to display one of their placards.
In his speech, Mr Higgins described the great tumulus of Newgrange as "the jewel in our heritage crown. He noted that, along with the other passage tombs of Knowth and Dowth and other prehistoric monuments, it had been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1993.
But Newgrange's renown had fuelled a "huge demand" for entry to the monument, "resulting in peak season queues, congested roads, overburdened parking and toilet facilities, pressure on our dedicated guide staff and, most importantly, a threat to the very fabric of the monument itself".
The Boyne Valley archaeological complex already attracts over 200,000 visitors annually and this figure is predicted to increase to between 250,000 and 300,000 in the near future. It was essential to have a visitor dispersal strategy aimed at "spreading the load", he said.
"I believe the management principles underlying this development represent a significant evolutionary step towards an integrated, sustainable approach to environmental management which may become a model for wider application nationally and maybe even internationally."
The new centre contains extensive interpretative displays and information on the monuments of Bru na Boinne, including a full-scale replica of the inner chamber at Newgrange and an audio-visual depiction, using computer generated images, of its Winter Solstice phenomenon.
Visitors wanting to see the real thing can cross the Boyne via a new pedestrian bridge to use a mini-bus service to take them to Newgrange or to Knowth (Dowth is currently closed for archaeological excavations).
Mr Higgins said his Department was playing a leading role in helping to exploit the main environmental assets of the region in a sustainable way, with projects like the restoration of Trim Castle and improvement and preservation works at Tara, Mellifont, Slane and Bective.
In partnership with the local authorities and other interests, he said the Department was also developing an attractive 13-kilometre stretch of the Boyne Way riverside walking route, linking Slane, Oldbridge and Drogheda, "in the shadows of the great tombs of Bru na Boinne.
The new visitor centre is open to the public from 10 a.m. today. Access is from the N2, turning east about two miles south of Slane towards Donore, or from the N1 in Drogheda, turning west at the bus station towards Donore. It is open every evening until 7 p.m.
