EPIC, the stunning Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin’s Docklands, has been crowned Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2019.
The museum scooped the coveted accolade at the prestigious World Travel Awards – the Oscars of the travel industry – ahead of 14 shortlisted nominees during a gala ceremony in Madeira, Portugal on 8 June.
The Dublin attraction pipped other world-famous attractions such as Buckingham Palace in England, the Eiffel Tower in France and the Roman Colosseum in Italy.
EPIC also beat off two other Irish attractions, Spike Island in County Cork and the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, which were shortlisted for this year’s award.
As the world’s first fully digital museum EPIC encompasses 1,500 years of Irish history and is a slick, interactive and visually entertaining presentation on how, where and why the Irish emigrated.
Not a typical museum, EPIC is a museum experience spread over 20 interactive galleries that reveal the far-reaching influence of Irish history and the impact the 10 million Irish men and women who have left Ireland had on the world.
The galleries tell the fascinating stories of Irish people past and present, and relive some of the greatest Irish achievements and accomplishments in the world of sport, music, art, culture, politics, food, fashion and science.
The strong link between the United States and Ireland is well represented, with an impressive array of Irish-American luminaries featured. They include US Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, White House architect James Hoban, writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, singer John MacCormack, dancers Gene Kelly and Michael Flatley, actors John Wayne, James Cagney and Grace Kelly and the film director John Ford, among many more.
With some 70 million people around the world claiming Irish heritage and ancestry, there are also tales from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, continental Europe, Latin America and more.
The museum’s location on the banks of the River Liffey was the departure point for many Irish emigrants when they left their homeland during the Great Famine of the 1800s. Nearby, there are haunting Famine memorial sculptures as well as the Jeanie Johnston tall ship to explore, both representing that tragic chapter of Irish history.
EPIC is located in the vaults of the beautifully restored CHQ building, originally a Georgian wine and tobacco warehouse, but now an attractive recreation, retail, food and events hub in Dublin city centre.
The Irish Emigration Museum also houses a state-of-the-art genealogy centre, which offers consultations with experts, access to Irish family history records and information to help anyone explore their Irish ancestry.
