To become a member of the Économusée movement, a producer must "use traditional craft techniques in the production of its products and open its doors to the public in order to share the knowledge of its artisan crafts people."
Technically, an Économusée is a Tourism Experience at an artisan producers workplace, where you can learn about the product, its history and its production.
These rural artisan food and craft producers are supported to develop a tourism aspect to their operations providing a learning and interpretive experience for visitors. In Kelly’s case, the visits will be by pre-booking only. The Économusées form a tourism-based network, or trail, which helps the businesses expand their sales, to sustain employment and offers an enhanced visitor experience.
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| Maireád Lavery, Editor Irish Country Living with Master Butcher, Sean Kelly |
An Économusée is an important heritage tourism attraction and contributes to the sustainability of rural areas through the creation of direct employment and by providing an attraction that disperses tourists to rural regions.
Speaking at the opening, Mairéad Lavery said, “Kelly’s involvement in the Économusée movement arose because of The Craft Reach project, which is led in Ireland by Teagasc and funded by the EU Northern Periphery and Artic (NPA) Programme 2014-2020. The term Économusée is copyright protected and it is a recognised badge of quality which carries the tagline ‘Artisans at Work’. A network of 80 Économusées now exists internationally, with 45 based in Canada and 35 in 7 European countries including Ireland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Norway and Sweden."
There are five Économusées in Ireland. Three are food producers, two are craft based, and there are plans for more in 2018.
Dr. Kevin Heanue who is leading the project for Teagasc commented, “The Économusée concept is an innovative model of rural enterprise support which helps artisan producers diversify their businesses into the cultural tourism market by providing them with a 6 step template to help them structure the visitor experience and also links them with an international network of like-minded artisan producers. The network will benefit greatly from a producer with the reputation of Kelly’s becoming a member”.
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| Kenneth, Cormac, Sean & Seamus Kelly carry on the family business founded more than 80 years ago by Dominic Kelly |
The Kelly’s Butchers Économusée is well placed to attract the “culturally curious” tourist, who represents a significant market segment in Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland’s marketing strategy. As Seán Kelly said, “The Économusée is all about bringing our history right into the present day. It’s a showcase for the time honoured, traditional ways of making black pudding and a chance for us to introduce visitors to Newport and our local area”.
An insight into the Économusée Network - the types of businesses, their location and background can found at www.economusee.eu
For more information on Kelly’s Butchers go to www.kellysbutchers.com
This is a great addition to the Food and Tourism Network for North Mayo and another wonderful foodie destination for food tourists to visit, when they come to Ireland.
Zack
