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Johnstown Castle wins top accolade as tourist attraction in CIE awards

Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford. Photo: Colin Shanahan

Carmel DoyleWexford People

JOHNSTOWN Castle Estate, Museum and Gardens, just outside Wexford town, has earned an award for its tourism offering, having just opened its doors to visitors in 2019 following a restoration process.

The castle was awarded in the CIE Tours Awards of Excellence, with a presentation being made in the Irish Emigration Museum (EPIC) in Dublin.

The CIE awards look to acknowledge tourist attractions that earn a customer satisfaction rating of more than 90 per cent in providing both an exceptional quality experience and a welcome to visitors.

Each year, CIE chooses winners based on an independent valuation of feedback surveys completed by over 30,000 CIE Tours international customers.

Accepting the award, Matt Wheeler, Curator at the Irish Heritage Trust which manages the Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum and Gardens, said, “Having opened just 10 months pre-pandemic and navigating the last number of turbulent tourism years, we are very proud to accept this award on behalf of all of the team at the Irish Heritage Trust and at Johnstown Castle.”

In 2022, over 150,000 people visited Johnstown Castle, with visitors travelling from all over Ireland, the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. As well as the castle, sights to enjoy include the Daniel Robertson inspired ornamental gardens with 4km of lake walks, a children’s woodland playground, plus the Irish Agricultural Museum on the grounds.