King John's Castle in Limerick, which dates back to 1210, and is one of the best preserved Norman castles in Europe, has been formally taken over by Limerick City and County Council who will manage the tourist attraction.
The historic castl,e which is a popular tourist location in the city attracting over 100,000 visitors in pre-pandemic times, had been under the management and ownership of the Shannon Heritage company for the past 30 years.
The company was part of Shannon Group, which runs Shannon Airport.
Shannon Heritage also owns Bunratty Castle and Folk park, Knappogue Castle and the ancient 16th Craggaunowen Castle in Co Clare, as well as Dunguaire Castle in Co Galway.
However, a decision was taken to begin the transfer of the heritage assets of Shannon Heritage to the local councils, to allow the Shannon Group to continue to focus on the recovery of the airport, which was devastated by the pandemic and lost almost 80% of its business.
All business operations and staff at King John's Castle have now transferred from Shannon Heritage to Discover Limerick DAC, which has been established specifically by Limerick council to operate and develop key tourism attractions that will strengthen the city as a destination for tourism and attract increased visitor numbers.
The 14 staff who worked there will transfer over to the new company with no change to their employment.
The castle will also now open seven days a week.
The castle was built in 1210 by King John on the city's King's Island, located in the heart of the medieval part of the city, right beside the River Shannon.
It has been the scene of many sieges in 1642 and 1650 and during the famous siege of Limerick in 1691.
The famous Treaty Stone on which Patrick Sarsfield signed the Treaty of Limerick in 1691 is located just across the river from the castle and marks an important tourism walk and loop at King's Island.
Despite being badly damaged by war in 1642, its wall towers and fortifications remain largely intact, and underground tunnels built in 1642 were discovered during archaeological excavations there in recent times, and form an important part of its tourist and visitor attraction today.
The castle also underwent a €5 million upgrade in 2013, undertaken by the same company that developed the Titanic site in Belfast, and now has an extensive interactive display bringing its 800-year history down through the centuries to life.
Marking the transfer, Mayor of Limerick Daniel Butler said: "This is a wonderful start to a new era for King John's Castle.
"I'd like to acknowledge and thank Shannon Heritage for their stewardship of King John's Castle for the past 30 years.
"With the castle back under Limerick control, we are the masters of our own destiny. We have a wonderful attraction here that we all need to support and showcase in whatever way we can.
"And I would encourage all Limerick people to come and visit King John's Castle over the coming months. Great attractions on our doorstep are for locals as well as tourists".
Limerick City CEO Dr Pat Daly who acknowledged that tourism will play a vital role in the recovery of the city post the Covid pandemic.
"As the country emerges from a two-year pandemic, tourism recovery is a vital objective for Limerick City and County Council and the wider tourism industry in Limerick," he said.
"The transition of the castle from Shannon Heritage to Discover Limerick DAC presents an exciting opportunity for Limerick to grow and develop the tourism industry in the city and county".
Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine thanked the council for the seamless transfer of the asset from the Shannon Group to the council which ensured a smooth transition for the staff at King John's Castle.
"The transfer will enable Shannon Group to concentrate our energies on restoring passenger numbers at Shannon Airport, thereby supporting local economic activity and attracting tourists.
"Shannon Group will maintain an important relationship with the visitor attraction by rebuilding vital air services at Shannon to support the return of much needed international tourists to Ireland."
However, King John's Castle is the only tourism asset from Shannon Heritage which has transferred to its local council.
The Department of Transport is still engaging with the Shannon Group about the proposed transfer of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Craggaunowen and Knappogue castles to Clare County Council, and with Galway council about the future ownership and management of Dunguaire Castle.
