Bus route cuts blamed for fall in Newgrange visitor numbers

THE number of tourists visiting the Newgrange burial chamber in the Boyne Valley has fallen drastically in two years and may be partly due to a cut in public transport to the monument.

That’s according to Labour Senator Dominic Hannigan, who said: “The dip may be due to the recession but it is a worrying trend. It is certain cost-cutting measures like reducing the number of buses running to the Brú na Bóinne visitors centre won’t have helped our local tourist industry.”

He said information he received from the Office of Public Works showed there were 241,265 visitors in 2007, 236,312 in 2008 and 223,430 last year.