Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Co. Galway is to undergo a €10 million overhaul by the Benedictine nuns who own the popular tourist attraction.
According to The Sunday Times, the abbey will partner with an American Catholic university as part of the development. There will also be around €4.5 million worth of restoration work carried out on the castle.
Kylemore is a major tourist attraction in the area, welcoming approximately 250,000 visitors per annum, resulting in profits of €376,000 in 2012. Consultants have been engaged to prepare a conservation management and business plan, on the instructions of the abbess Maire Hickey.
Kylemore is currently operated by Lalco, which also operates several other tourist attractions and hotels around the country. Lalco's licence is due to expire in 2015 and the nuns plan to take over the running of the attraction on expiration.
The attraction currently includes a restaurant, craft shop and walled garden but the new business plan will examine the possiblities of developing the facilites further and on future strategies for the Kylemore brand.
