Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum and Gardens has received an award at the 33rd Annual CIE Tours Awards of Excellence. The awards, which are based on feedback received from customers of CIE Tours International, were presented at a ceremony recently held at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin.

The annual awards acknowledge tourist attractions achieving customer satisfaction rating of 94.5% for an exceptional quality experience and welcome to visitors. The winners are chosen from an independent valuation of feedback surveys completed by over 30,000 CIE Tours International customers.

Accepting the Award, Jess Sinnott, Customer Experience Manager at the Irish Heritage Trust which manages the Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum and Gardens visitor attraction says,

“We are delighted to receive our third CIE Excellence award for Johnstown Castle and especially proud to accept this award on behalf of the team at the Irish Heritage Trust at Johnstown Castle. It’s a real testament to the hard work of all our team. We are excited to share that from 3rd February, our opening hours at Johnstown Castle will be extended and we will be open from 9am to 5pm daily, with those hours extending to 5.30pm from 16th March.”

Johnstown Castle has become a leading visitor attraction in Ireland’s Ancient East, having opened to the public in 2019 following a major conservation and development project. In 2024, over 165,000 people visited Johnstown Castle, with 21% of visitors coming from overseas. Visitors also included members and day visitors exploring the stunning castle, gardens, and the rich rural heritage of the Irish Agricultural Museum.

With its rich 800-year history, Johnstown Castle continues to reveal its fascinating stories under the stewardship of the Irish Heritage Trust, an independent non-profit organisation. Since opening in 2019, ongoing conservation projects and visitor experience enhancements have continued – all made possible through visitor and membership support, grants and philanthropy.

CIE Tours, which celebrates 93 years in business, is the largest operator of guided tours to Ireland in the North American market. Launched in 1990, the Awards recognise Ireland’s hospitality ambassadors – the people and businesses who put Irish tourism on the global stage through the warmth of welcome and quality of service provided.

Sustainability is a key business objective for both CIE Tours and the Irish Heritage Trust. The former recently launched a Sustainability Action Fund to support and acknowledge the contribution their communities make to the success of the business and were awarded the Sustainable Tourism Network’s Foundation Award.

Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum and Gardens is open 7 days per week year-round. Tickets can be purchased in advance and Irish Heritage Trust membership provides access to its sites in Cork, Roscommon and Wexford.