Have you visited this museum?
The Irish Museum of Time in Waterford has been nominated for the prestigious British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards 2022.
Based in Greyfriars Street in a refurbished gothic-style church, the museum features the oldest Irish-made grandfather clocks, table clocks and watches, while celebrating the craftsmen who made them.
Its collection also features timepieces from around the world, with some dating back to the mid-16th century.
Only members of the British Guild of Travel Writers can nominate tourism attractions and destinations for the annual awards.
The Irish Museum of Time, which is part of the Waterford Treasures suite, earned its nomination after being selected by the award-winning global travel writer and guild member Isabel Conway.
Following her visit to the museum earlier this summer, Conway praised it for its "rare and beautiful" old clocks and timepieces, as well as its "superb exhibits".
"Wander ancient Waterford’s medieval laneways around its multi-award-winning Viking Triangle and you'll find The Irish Museum of Time that traces Ireland’s long history of horology, all gathered in a Gothic Revival church that celebrates the skills of clock and timepieces makers, dating back to the sixteenth century," she wrote.
"The oldest Irish longcase clocks still in existence stand like sentinels and a highlight of the collection is the London-made William Clement clock from 1663, the earliest example in the world of his invention that transformed accurate timepiece-making.”
Waterford Treasures Director Eamonn McEneaney said the nomination was a "huge honour".
"We understand that we are currently the only visitor attraction in Ireland to receive a nomination this year," he said in a statement.
"The British Guild of Travel Writers awards are nominated and voted on by the industry's best travel writers, therefore the benefit for us of this profiling alone in reaching this key audience is incredible.
"The entire team at Waterford Treasures and The Irish Museum of Time work very hard to ensure each and every visitor enjoys their experience and this nomination is very much a testament to that hard work."
The Irish Museum of Time will now progress to the next phase of the awards journey where the guild members vote on the attractions that should move forward to the shortlisting stage and then onto the finalist stage if selected.
The British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards finale will take place at a ceremony in London in November.
