BY SYLVIA POWNALL
WORK has started on a new indoor visitor experience on Cape Clear that will bring to life the island’s unique history, culture and maritime heritage.
Inis is an all-weather project being delivered through the strategic partnership between Fáilte Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta, in collaboration with Comharchumann Chléire Teo, the not-for-profit development company run by the Cléire island community.
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Inis will offer a year-round visitor experience designed to extend the island’s tourism season, enhance the visitor experience, and deliver significant economic and cultural benefits to local businesses and communities.
The experience will bring together the island’s ancient past, its maritime heritage and the lived experiences of its people, while also telling the iconic story of the Fastnet Lighthouse.
Fáilte Ireland’s Mary Stack said: ‘As a year-round attraction, it will bring meaningful benefits to the island community by supporting local businesses, sustaining employment and encouraging greater engagement with the island throughout the year.’
The name Inis draws on the Irish word for island while also reflecting the act of telling stories and sharing lived experience. It captures the essence of place and memory of a vibrant Gaeltacht island community where the Irish language remains at the heart of daily life.
Inis was born out of the community’s desire to tell its story in a modern, accessible and compelling way, strengthening both their tourism offering and the island economy.
The project is being progressed as a key initiative under the West Cork Destination and Experience Development Plan, aligning local ambition with regional tourism development priorities.
It is estimated Inis will open to the public in 2027, and will provide comprehensive island orientation, encouraging visitors to explore Cléire and discover its many archaeological and natural wonders.
Tomás Ó Síocháin, CEO at Údarás na Gaeltachta said: ‘This centre will give visitors a genuine window into Gaeltacht life on Oileán Cléire and the extraordinary story of the Fastnet. Beyond the visitor experience itself, it strengthens the island’s infrastructure, its economy and, crucially, the long-term sustainability of the community and the Irish language. I am deeply grateful to Fáilte Ireland and the people of Oileán Cléire, who championed this project from the very beginning.’
