THE DERRY GIRLS Experience is one of 13 projects to have received funding under a Shared Island scheme.

The Shared Island Fund was announced in Budget 2021 and delivers capital investment in collaborative North/South projects.

The funding for the Derry Girls Experience comes under the Coast-to-Coast Investment Scheme, part of a Shared Island tourism collaboration project delivered by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.

Close to €2.7million has been allocated under the scheme to support the development and enhancement of existing attractions across counties Donegal, Sligo and parts of Leitrim on the Wild Atlantic Way, as well as counties Derry and Antrim along the Causeway Coastal Route.

The Derry Girls Experience, based in The Tower Museum in Derry City, will receive funding of £250,000 (€286,000).

The exhibition allows people to see original memorabilia from the hit show and to step into the set of the Quinn household.

The funding will be used to enhance the existing exhibition and create a new digital experience to encourage visitors to engage with Derry Girls related sites, props, and experiences across the city.

A spokesperson said the aim is to make the Derry Girls Experience “TV’s biggest behind the scenes experience”.

Other projects in the North to receive funding include the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre in Co Antrim, which will also receive £250,000 to allow it to “refresh” its visitor experience.

The Giant's Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The Museum of Free Derry meanwhile will receive around £57,000 (€65,700) which will go towards adding 20 personal stories linked to artefacts on display at the museum.

President Catherine Connolly visits the Museum of Free Derry earlier this month Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Elsewhere, Oakfield Park in Raphoe, Co Donegal receives the most funding at close to €295,000 – this will allow for vintage railway carriages to be restored to host interactive exhibits, VR experiences, and art displays.

The Workhouse in Dunfanaghy in Co Donegal will also receive funding to allow for multilingual audio tours, Wild Ireland in Burnfoot will use its funding to build an indoor education centre while the Inishowen Maritime Museum in Greencastle will develop a new planetarium show.

Oakfield Park in Co Donegal Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In Co Leitrim, the Rose of Innisfree receives €181,000 to update its exhibitions with interactive panels and multilingual audio tours.

And in Co Sligo, The Yeats Building will receive €186,000 to become a “multi-sensory experience linking W.B. Yeats to Sligo’s culture and landscape”.

The Model meanwhile will use its €177,000 funding to present Jack Butler Yeats’ story “through an immersive exhibition”, and Lough Gill Brewery receives €112,000 to  create a new visitor centre featuring a taproom and exhibition spaces.

The Model in Sligo Town Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Minister for Tourism, Peter Burke, said that the announcement is a “tangible step forward in our commitment to all-island tourism collaboration”.

He added that the investment reflects the Government’s commitment to “balanced regional development”.

“By backing projects in every part of the island, we are ensuring that tourism growth delivers real benefits for local communities and helps build a more competitive, resilient and regionally balanced visitor economy for the future.”