Fingal Tourism
The objective of this project was to determine which existing Tourist Information Office (TIO) in Fingal is best located in terms of amenities, and to identify a suitable town for the development of a new TIO. The analysis focused specifically on natural amenities, arts and recreation. Fingal County Council’s Tourism Strategy divided the county into three broad regions—North, Southeast and Southwest—which provided a useful framework for the study. Electoral Divisions (EDs) were used effectively to buffer the respective towns and assess accessibility and amenity distribution. The scope of the project was broad, allowing the use of multiple datasets, the majority of which were sourced from Fingal County Council.
Several limitations within the data were identified. Firstly, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) dataset contained a very large number of sites, many of which—such as private houses and bridges—were of limited relevance to tourism analysis. To address this, the data was used primarily as an overall count within choropleth maps, while churches still in use were treated as a more significant indicator when assessing suitable locations for a TIO. Secondly, some community centres overlapped with other amenities; for example, the library and theatre in Rush were also classified as community centres. This overlap may have artificially increased Rush’s amenity count, potentially giving it an advantage in the analysis. A third issue concerned data currency, as some datasets, such as those for large towns, were only current up to 2024. Despite these concerns, the datasets were sufficiently robust to allow for meaningful comparisons between towns.
In terms of methodology, the Clip tool was used most frequently, followed by Select Layer by Attribute, which was employed to remove irrelevant features such as unused ferry stations. Train stations that were relevant to the study were created using the XY Table to Point tool. Spatial Join was essential in generating the choropleth maps, while Buffer analysis was used to assess amenities within proximity to existing Tourist Information Offices. The Intersect tool was applied when analysing polygon data. In retrospect, the use of batch processing would have improved efficiency when analysing multiple point-based amenities. Once the required datasets were finalised, several features were exported from servers to feature layers using the Export Features tool.
StoryMap
Dashboard
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/163b73cb4a39441fa678f1c801a466ab
Based on the analysis presented in the story map and dashboard, Howth was identified as the best-located existing TIO. Howth contains approximately 100 NIAH sites and is located just 0.16 miles from a train station, making it highly accessible. Malahide was selected as the most suitable town for a new Tourist Information Office, recording the highest overall amenity count (19) and 44 NIAH sites across its two Electoral Divisions. The analysis focused on larger coastal towns, while smaller settlements and Dublin city were excluded to maintain consistency with the project scope.
There is, however, an acknowledgment that Castleknock and Blanchardstown may have been underrepresented. Both areas benefit from railway access and the presence of a national walking and cycling route along the Royal Canal. Had the project focused more heavily on food, drink and accommodation, these locations would likely have warranted greater consideration. Overall, the competition between the six selected towns was relatively balanced, though Skerries and Malahide emerged as the strongest candidates. While both towns recorded similar numbers of community centres, Malahide ultimately ranked higher due to its superior location, proximity to amenities, and availability of recreational and walking spaces. The choropleth maps further supported this conclusion, showing Malahide with the highest NIAH site count.
In conclusion, the project successfully met its objectives, and Malahide is identified as a strong candidate for a new Tourist Information Office. Drawing on Dún Laoghaire’s TIO brochure as a reference, Malahide already offers a substantial range of recreational spaces and heritage assets. Establishing a TIO in Malahide would result in three offices in the Southeast, two in the North, and none in the Southwest. While this distribution may appear uneven, it reflects the spatial concentration of Fingal’s key tourism assets along the coast, as demonstrated in the choropleth maps.
This project highlighted the challenge of determining which factors should carry the greatest weight when allocating funding for a Tourist Information Office. While heritage, culture and recreation were prioritised in this study, alternative criteria such as shopping, dining, and accommodation could also justify a different outcome. A future study focusing on these factors would provide a valuable comparative perspective and further strengthen decision-making around TIO placement.
References
Connor O’Brien (05/01/2024) Fingal Public Parks. Available From.
https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=34a1adf27c4f4e49a8f87924085fd101
Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (15/07/2025) Natural Heritage Area. Available from.
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/natural-heritage-area1
Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (15/07/2025) Special Area Conservation. Available From
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/special-area-conservation1
Esri Ireland Data (23/04/2025) National Trails Register. Available From
Esri Ireland Data (23/04/2025) National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) Buildings, Ireland. Available from.
https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=bd0ec1adba4946829e12e3dfb3ea34eb
Fingal County Council (No date). Fingal Tourism Strategy 2024-2029. Available from
https://www.fingal.ie/sites/default/files/2024-03/final-fingal-tourism-strategy-mar24.pdf
Fingal County Council (11/06/2025) Heritage Venues Locations FCC. Available From
https://data.fingal.ie/datasets/bb2e8856fe49413a8f7cbd37fa8f5e9a_0/explore
Fingal County Council (22/11/2023) Playing Pitches FCC. Available from
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Fingal County Council (09/02/2025) Historical Graveyards FCC. Available From.
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/historical-graveyards-fcc2
Fingal County Council (09/02/2025) Libraries FCC. Available From.
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/libraries-fcc2
Fingal County Council (30/6/2021) Local/National Parks and Play Grounds FCC 2023. Available From
https://data.fingal.ie/datasets/363085bfd8b740e48b7ab0c86d69c47a_0/explore
Fingal County Council (04/04/2024) Arts and Theatre Centres FCC. Available From
https://data.fingal.ie/datasets/FingalCoCo::arts-and-theatre-centers-fcc/about
Fingal County Council (27/05/2022) Fingal County Council Adopted Development Plan Zoning 2017 to 2023FCC. Available From
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Mark Anic (15/03/2025) Community Centres FCC. Available From
Michelin Guide (No date) Explore Restaurants. Available From
Niamh O’Reilly (17/09/2024) Major Roads. Exercise 1 Introduction to ArcGIS Pro Webpage. Available From
https://brightspace.tudublin.ie/d2l/le/content/425771/viewContent/3644001/View
Niamh O’Reilly (No date) Location of existing tourism offices in Fingal. Available From
https://brightspace.tudublin.ie/d2l/le/content/425771/viewContent/3855347/View
Niamh O’Reilly (15/12/2025) Fingal areas as defined by Fingal Tourism Strategy. Available From.
https://services5.arcgis.com/rCWD3mEoSnkNIyFp/arcgis/rest/services/Fingal_Area/FeatureServer
Niamh O’Reilly (17/09/2024) Towns – Large towns in Ireland.Exercise 1 Introduction to ArcGIS Pro Webpage. Available From
https://brightspace.tudublin.ie/d2l/le/content/425771/viewContent/3644001/View
Tailte Éireann (22/08/2025) Motorway Access Exit Points - National 1m Map Of Ireland. Available From
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/motorway-access-exit-points-national-1m-map-of-ireland1
Tailte Éireann (22/08/2025) Ferry Crossing - National 250k Map Of Ireland. Available from
Tailte Éireann (22/08/2025) Railways - National 250k Map Of Ireland. Available From
Tailte Éireann (22/08/2025) Railway Stations - National 250k Map Of Ireland. Available From.
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/railway-stations-national-250k-map-of-ireland1
