Celtworld was an
educational amusement park,
heritage interpretation
Heritage interpretation refers to all the ways in which information is communicated to visitors to an educational, natural or recreational site, such as a museum, park or science centre. More specifically it is the communication of information ...
centre and
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural ...
in
Tramore
Tramore (; ) is a seaside town in County Waterford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. With humble origins as a small fishing village, the area saw rapid development upon the arrival of the railway from Waterford City in 1853. Initially, the ...
, County Waterford, Ireland.
It operated from 1992 to 1995 before closing due to financial difficulties.
Development
Funding
The total start-up cost for the project was more than
£4.5 million (approximately €5.7 million).
With building costs of between £90 and £110 per square foot, it was reputed to be the most expensive construction project in Ireland.
Tramore Fáilte, an arm of the South East Regional Tourism Organisation, provided £737,000 toward start-up costs, in addition to term loans and leasing arrangements of approximately £575,000. The project also attracted a
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
Structure Fund Grant of £1.81 million.
Private sector investment of £1.5 million was provided by Vectravision,
Kentz, and British firm International Tourism Projects Ltd.
Bank loans provided a further £600,000 of capital.
A further £230,000-£250,000 was funded by 63 Business Expansion Scheme (BES) investors, which included employees of the
Bank of Ireland,
Kentz, and Tramore Fáilte.
There were 67 investors in total.
The 2.5-acre site was purchased from Tramore Fáilte for £400,000.
The company was incorporated as Celtworld Limited on 30 November 1990, opening in May 1992 with 15 full-time and 15 part-time employees.
Design
The
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
interior was designed by artist
Jim Fitzpatrick.
The building was planned as a wet-weather attraction. It was clad with aluminium and was not air conditioned, which led to uncomfortable conditions in warm weather.
Features
Theatre
Celtworld's main feature was a 25-minute show
which involved a
revolving auditorium
A revolving auditorium is a mechanically controlled seating area within a theatre which can be rotated in order to manipulate the change of scenery and stage sets during the performance. Revolving auditoriums are favoured by open-air theatres in p ...
, the largest such theatre in Europe at that time.
Visual effects included animated artwork,
computer-generated imagery,
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fi ...
s,
holograms
Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other applications. In principle, it ...
, and
animatronics.
It was presented as a "Crystal Time Chamber" which allowed visitors to travel back to Celtic times. Every turn of the revolving theatre brought visitors to 1 of 6 presentations, which involved a range of mythical and legendary characters such as a daughter of
Noah,
Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gae ...
,
Fomorians
The Fomorians or Fomori ( sga, Fomóire, Modern ga, Fomhóraigh / Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the eart ...
,
Partholón
Partholón (Modern spelling: 'Parthalán') is a character in medieval Irish Christian legend. By tradition, he is credited with leading a large group to settle in Ireland. "Partholón" comes from the Hebrew name "Bartholomaeus" or "Bartholomew". T ...
,
Lugh
Lugh or Lug (; ga, label= Modern Irish, Lú ) is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a savior.Olmsted, Garrett. ''The Go ...
,
Balor, and
Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn ( ), called the Hound of Ulster ( Irish: ''Cú Uladh''), is a warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. He is believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god L ...
. The experience was narrated by
Tuan mac Cairill.
Historical figures such as
vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...
and
Saint Patrick were also included.
* Presentation 1 –
Cessair
Cessair or Cesair (spelled Ceasair in modern Irish, meaning sorrow, affliction) is a character from the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'', a medieval Christian pseudohistory of Ireland. According to the ''Lebor Gabála'', Cessair was the leader of the firs ...
and
Fir Bolg
In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...
from
Lebor Gabála Érenn
''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...
* Presentation 2 – Fir Bolg fighting Tuatha Dé Danann
* Presentation 3 – Battle between Lugh and Balor
* Presentation 4 – The childhood of Cú Chulainn
* Presentation 5 –
Táin Bó Cúailnge
(Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "The Irish Iliad", although like most other early Iri ...
* Presentation 6 –
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of y ...
and the
Fianna
''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; gd, Fèinne ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had ...
Otherworld
After the theatre show, visitors entered the interactive
Celtic Otherworld
In Celtic mythology, the Otherworld is the realm of the deities and possibly also the dead. In Gaelic and Brittonic myth it is usually a supernatural realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture ...
exhibition. This area included quizzes, information on women in Irish mythology,
ogham
Ogham ( Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langu ...
stones,
Aos Sí
' (; older form: ) is the Irish name for a supernatural race in Celtic mythology – spelled ''sìth'' by the Scots, but pronounced the same – comparable to fairies or elves. They are said to descend from either fallen angels or the ...
, an £18,000 replica
Book of Kells, and an artificial tree with talking animatronic human heads.
The exit was via a gift shop.
Closure
Celtworld experienced early trading difficulties and a financial consultant was appointed to review the company. 270,000 people were expected to attend each year but the project attracted less than 50% of its target.
It received a loan from
Bord Fáilte
Cucerdea ( hu, Oláhkocsárd, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bord (''Bord''), Cucerdea, and Șeulia de Mureș (''Oláhsályi'').
The commune is located in the sout ...
in late 1993 but business did not improve.
Celtworld closed in September 1995 with losses of over £4 million.
More than £2 million had been spent on set-up, promotion, and consultancy fees.
The centre's failure has been attributed in part to its unchanging audiovisual presentations, which failed to attract adequate repeat visitors. Bord Fáilte Director General Matt McNulty claimed that the project's failure was due to its design as a wet-weather facility. Its opening season saw unseasonably warm, dry weather which led to low attendance.
Its failure led to discussion in
Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament, where
Kathleen Lynch questioned the then
Minister for Tourism and Trade,
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
about its closure.
Bobby Molloy
Robert Molloy (9 July 1936 – 2 October 2016) was an Irish politician who served as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal and Minister of State to the Government from 1997 to 2002, Minister for Energy from 1989 to 1992, Minister for ...
also questioned Kenny over the closure and allegations which had been made on the
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
current affairs television shows ''
Prime Time'' and ''
Marketplace
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...
''.
Aftermath
The property was placed on the market with the condition that it could only be used for tourism or leisure activities, which limited its potential sale price.
The site went on sale in September 1995 at an asking price of £600,000 and was sold to a
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
consortium in January 1996 for £475,000.
In 1997, the site was sold to
Butlin's Mosney owner Phelim McCloskey for £380,000.
McCloskey developed a robotic dinosaurs exhibit which closed after less than a year.
A
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
investigation was due to report in 1997 but as of 1999 had not been completed.
In 1999, McCloskey obtained planning permission for 30 short-term holiday apartments on the site. Permission was granted by
An Bord Pleanála
(; meaning "The Planning Board"; ABP) is an independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007, An Bord Pleanála directly decided major ...
, controversially over-ruling a
Waterford County Council
Waterford County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Phort Láirge) was the authority responsible for local government in County Waterford, Ireland. The remit of Waterford County Council also included some suburbs of the Waterford city not within t ...
decision to reject an original proposal for 36 apartments.
In 2000, Ambient Catering Limited purchased the site and developed a 20,000 square feet music venue named South with a capacity of 2,200 guests, at a cost of €3 million.
The venue opened in 2001 but closed soon afterwards. Celtworld Limited was dissolved on 15 July 2005.
The site was sold in May 2006 to Volute Properties Limited, who received planning permission for a
mixed-use development with
Dunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores is an Irish multinational retail chain that primarily sells food, clothes and household wares.
In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain also has operations in Spain, and formerly in England and Scotland. The f ...
as
anchor tenants
In retail, an "anchor tenant", sometimes called an "anchor store", "draw tenant", or "key tenant", is a considerably larger tenant in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain. They are typically located at the ends of malls. Wit ...
.
This proposal fell through and the building was demolished in 2008. By 2020, it had been redeveloped as an
Aldi
Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when ...
supermarket.
Media and popular culture
Celtworld was featured in the 1994
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Republic of Ireland's state controlled national broadcaster. Its first channel was Teilifís Éireann, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. Since the 1960s, RT ...
short drama "Gypsies".
References
{{coord missing, Ireland
Amusement parks in Ireland
Defunct amusement parks
Tourist attractions in the Republic of Ireland
1992 establishments in Ireland
1995 disestablishments in Ireland
Amusement parks opened in 1992
Amusement parks closed in 1995