A NEW WHISKEY museum for Dublin’s College Green is among two new projects that are to be partly funded by the Department of Tourism.

Funding of €150,000 is to be awarded for the museum which is due to open its doors in August.

The museum will open above the iconic James Fox cigar shop after a €1.9m refurbishment, currently being carried out by Irish contractor Noclun.

Just over €152,000 is also to be made available for a new visitor and interpretative area in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Over 370,000 people visited the centre in 2012 but surveys conducted by the Cathedral showed that visitors wanted a more engaging experience.

The funding is to be allocated under Fáilte Ireland’s Capital Investment Programme with Transport Minister Leo Varadkar saying that “both projects should be good for businesses, retailers and jobs”.

Covering several floors and five rooms, the Irish Whiskey Museum will include exhibitions on the history of Irish whiskey, a bar, and interactive posters that will see the founding fathers of the Irish whiskey industry ‘come to life’ for a barney over which product is superior.

The Cathedral was built in the 13th century. Source: AP/Press Association Images

In St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a number of new features are to be developed including a new audio visual area where themed videos will be played showing how the Cathedral developed within the wider city. A new monument to remember those who have been affected by conflict is also to be erected.

Both projects are to be part of the ‘Dublin Discovery Trail’ according to Fáilte Ireland CEO, Shaun Quinn.

“Increasingly, a successful tourism destination needs to be able to tell its story and to provide opportunities for visitors to engage with that narrative,” he says.

“The projects announced today as part of the Dublin Discovery Trail allow us to do just that and contribute to our overall ambition of marketing Dublin as a ‘must-see’ and ‘must-do’ destination”.