The Irish Museum of Time has been nominated for the prestigious British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards 2022.
Located on Greyfriars Street, in the heart of Waterford’s Viking Triangle, Ireland's National Horological Museum is home to some of the oldest Irish-made grandfather clocks, table clocks and watches in the world.
Housed in a refurbished gothic-style church, the museum celebrates the outstanding skills of craftsmen who have created "remarkable beauty and technological genius".
The collection also features early European timepieces, some dating back to the mid-sixteenth century, with one of the most impressive pieces being the William Clement clock from 1663.
Today it was announced that museum has been nominated for the prestigious British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards 2022.
The Guild is the UK's leading organisation of travel media professionals, established in 1960.
The criteria for membership in the guild is incredibly tough, with each of the 270 members having to satisfy an annual audit to retain their membership.
Only Guild members can nominate tourism attractions and destinations for the annual awards, and the award-winning global travel writer Isabel Conway selected to nominate The Irish Museum of Time following her visit to the museum earlier this summer, crediting the museum with a beautiful collection of clocks and supporting the local economy.
In her nomination, Isabel describes the Museum of Time as featuring: "Rare and beautiful old clocks and timepieces, from all over Ireland and around the globe displayed in a swirl of dials, chimes and beautiful craftsmanship. Most of the collection of over 600 superb exhibits were donated by two avid Irish horologists – whose homes were heaving with the ticking treasures they had collected over a lifetime."
The Irish Museum of Time will now move to the next stage of the awards journey where members vote on the attractions that should move forward to the shortlisting stage and then onto the finalist stage if selected.
The awards ceremony will take place in London in November on the eve of World Travel Market – the largest global gathering for the tourism and hospitality industry.
