Discover the achievements of the 2014-2020 NPA projects

Seven years of cooperation between people, communities, and organisations across thousands of kilometres made a difference in the Northern Periphery and Arctic regions.

Browse the NPA map of results to discover our stories of cooperation. Pick a dot from the map and scroll down to read  about people who have met similar minded colleagues and together found solutions for their shared challenges.

Content from Host maps.google.com has not been loaded as functional cookies with transatlantic data exchanges have not been enabled.

Privacy Settings Load Content Now

Use the +/- buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in/out or click on the regions to display the NPA project stories.

Back to list

Growing Literary Tourism Potential

Turning rural areas into literary tourism destinations

Literary tourism is an emerging niche sector within the wider cultural tourism sector. With growing interest and recognition, also comes an increase in business potential. The Spot-Lit project recognised this opportunity and engaged with businesses and organisations operating in the literary tourism sector to help them to develop new literary tourism products, reach wider markets and grow connections.

In Inniskeen in Co. Monaghan, the project engaged with the Patrick Kavangh Centre, a visitor experience and performance space dedicated to the life and work of one of Ireland’s greatest poets. With support from the Spot-lit project, a cluster of authentic experiences have been created, using literature as a theme – for visitors to enjoy over a day or two, in this rural area. The Kavanagh Centre, which tells the story of the poet himself, his life, work, and the influences that shaped his writing is the central ‘experience’ in this cluster. To further develop this rural region into a literary tourism destination, the Centre is working together with Monaghan County Council, Fáilte Ireland, local community, and tourism operators to connect similar initiatives and actors in the area into one literary cluster.

 

Darren McCreesh

Patrick Kavangh Centre

Participation in the SPOT LIT Product Incubation Programme was very beneficial to the Patrick Kavanagh Centre in many respects. Not least in the development of a new product range for our retail offering, but also in terms of peer learning, exposure to best practice and ideas in the wider Northern Literary region, and development of new networks. Critically it also gave us an enhanced appreciation of the cultural and social power that can be unleashed by tapping into our literary heritage.