LSAD partners with Clare village for €50,000 renewal project

TUS Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD) has partnered with community response group Bunratty Local Development Association (BLDA) to “Renew Bunratty”, as the project receives €50,000 from Creative Ireland’s Creative Climate Action Fund II.

This community-led, hands-on collaboration between the university and the Bunratty community is a process that has been designed to nurture a sense of caring for the environment in and around Bunratty Castle, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ireland. 

The Creative Ireland Programme, in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is funding 40 recipients including “Renew Bunratty”. 

Project co-ordinator and lecturer at LSAD Eleanor Moloney explained that “Renew Bunratty” will help to communicate the importance of sustainable tourism to villages like Bunratty from an ecological, economical and social point of view.

"Tourism can have a significant impact on local communities and the environment. While it can bring economic benefits, it can also contribute to environmental degradation and cultural commodification. Tourism plays a significant role in the current climate crisis, both as a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and its impact on social issues, such as housing and public service and transport," she said.

"This project aims to investigate how a fairer and more sustainable model of tourism might be achieved, where the quality of life and heritage can be shared by both locals and visitors without harming the economy and livelihoods of those who depend on tourism for their income."

Mike Fitzpatrick, Dean of LSAD and Director of Cultural Engagement at TUS said "While this project is a community-based project meeting the needs of Bunratty, it is also a project with capacity for scale and has the potential of providing a blueprint for other communities across the region.

"Through a series of place making projects, LSAD with BLDA and the local community will develop a sustainable approach to tourism and local development through intergenerational collaboration and skills exchange, repurposing materials and exploring ways of subtly shifting behaviours to enrich rather than deplete the local ecosystems that first made Bunratty attractive."

"TUS LSAD is delighted to be working with BLDA to bring this project to fruition and support the great work being undertaken by this community group since 2013," he added.