Tag Archives: Clare tourism

A delegation of key members of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly led by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlan travelled to Clare last weekend for a visit aimed at strengthening ties between the US and Irish regions. The legislators are members of the New Jersey American Irish State Legislators Caucus (AISLC), a bipartisan network of American Irish legislators and legislators who are friends of Ireland at the state and local level of government. There is now an American Irish State Legislators Caucus in every state in the US. The New Jersey delegation visited the Cliffs of Moher, where they were welcomed to Clare by the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr PJ Ryan, and Council Chief Executive Pat Dowling. The trip also included visits to Shannon Airport and Bunratty Castle. Speaking at the Cliffs of Moher, Cllr Ryan said: “I am delighted to welcome the members of the New Jersey AISLC to County Clare today. The visit gives us the …

CLARE is set to get special promotion of its tourism attraction to US markets this year as part of a new initiative. Tourism Ireland is rolling out its ‘twinning’ initiative this year, which involves overseas markets ‘twinning with’ a specific region or area in Ireland. The United States is ‘twinning’ with Clare and Limerick, so Tourism Ireland in the United States is placing a special focus on both counties this year. The tourism body held its March board meeting in Limerick last week and met with regional tourism representatives to discuss activity to restart overseas tourism to Ireland this year. The extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland is undertaking to highlight Clare and Limerick, the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland around the world in 2022 was on the agenda also. Speaking after the board meeting, Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We were delighted to have the chance to meet with representatives of the Clare and Limerick tourism …

International tourism buyers from across the globe are experiencing some of the best Clare has to offer ahead of Ireland’s biggest tourism trade show. Fáilte Ireland has been showcasing the unique experiences the Banner has to offer to tourism executives before they take part in the ‘Meitheal’ trae show in Killarney, later this week. The Clare jaunt is just one of five pre-Meitheal tours to take place this week, providing the overseas buyers with opportunities to experience first-hand what their clients can expect to see and do while in Ireland. Among the sites visited by the international buyers in Co. Clare were Aillwee Caves and Birds of Prey Centre; Killaloe River Cruises, Killaloe; Lakeside Hotel & Leisure Centre Killaloe; McKernan Woollen Mills, Tuamgraney and Wilde Irish Chocolates, Tuamgraney The tailor-made fact-finding tours play an important part of the ‘Meitheal’ experience, by providing the travelling buyers with an authentic flavour of what Ireland has to offer their clients. The tours are …

THE acting head of tourism in Clare is supporting the proposed development of an inflatable aqua park at a popular Ogonnelloe amenity area, writes Dan Danaher. West Lake Aqua Park has lodged a planning application with Clare County Council seeking permission for a new aqua park that will operate seasonally from May 1 to September 30 at Twomilegate, Ballycuggeran, which is situated a few miles from Killaloe. The aqua park will consist of an inflatable floating obstacle course, floating access pontoon, 20 foot container for check-in and 40 foot container for changing facilities including all associated works at Twomilegate. In a letter to the planning department, acting head of tourism, Deirdre O’Shea outlined this project will provide a new and dynamic tourism product in East Clare. It will, in turn, provide social and economic benefits to the region and to the local community in line with the Clare Tourism Strategy 2030, the Lough Derg Blueway brand criteria, the Shannon Tourism …

THE tourism attractions of Clare and Limerick are to be highlighted to a potential audience of 155 million people in the US and Canada in March. US TV travel show ‘Ireland with Michael’ first showcased Clare and Limerick as holiday destinations last May on the PBS network which has a vast reach across north America. Now the show will run again on PBS on March 24, when St Patrick’s Day has stoked interest in all things Irish. A native of Wexford, now resident in the US Michael Londra visited a host of attractions in the two counties for this second season of the show. In each episode, he takes viewers on a journey to both popular and lesser-known destinations to learn about local history, meet local artisans, experience small-town pubs and food, and enjoy unique musical and cultural experiences. The show combines glorious footage of Ireland’s landscapes and destinations, exciting cultural experiences, and performances from Irish stars. In the Clare-based …

THE Burren Ecotourism Network was one of the main winners in the Irish Independent’s ‘Reader Travel Awards, taking the green light award for sustainability’. The judges applauded the network for it’s “contribution to sustainable tourism” which they said helped “make Ireland a greener destination and inspirational example”. Made up of 62 tourism enterprises, from cheesemongers to carbon-neutral hotels, the network’s efforts to conserve the area through training, initiatives and a code of sustainable practices was applauded. “The members promote initiatives like community clean-ups and each business gives out Burren Bags — tote bags that can be filled with rubbish found when guests are out exploring,” the judges said. They added that businesses can also adopt hedgerows and undergo biodiversity training, and support the Burren Pine Project, which aims to restore Ireland’s only native pine species, previously believed to have been extinct. Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO of the Burren Ecotourism Network said: “We’re proud of the fact we’ve mobilized the community with …

SIGNS are positive for north Clare after the latest initiative aimed at developing sustainable tourism in the area. Failte Ireland recently unveiled the first viewing points along the Burren Discovery Trail, a new looped route off the Wild Atlantic Way. The trail is one of the projects that has emerged from the Visitor Experience Development Plan for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher, published earlier this year, that is designed to encourage visitors to explore more and stay longer in the Burren. Developed with an investment of €340,000 from Fáilte Ireland, the 95km Burren Discovery Trail takes visitors through the Burren Highlands in Clare and Lowlands in Galway encouraging them to engage with the stories of each local area and explore the many wonderful towns and villages in the region. Miriam Kennedy, Head of the Wild Atlantic Way at Fáilte Ireland, said, “The Burren is famous for its stunning karst natural landscape but it is also a living environment with …

FOLLOWING a busy season of staycations in Clare, a new marketing campaign is aiming to keep up the momentum for the Banner’s vital hospitality industry into the autumn and beyond. Throughout the summer, Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Keep Discovering’ marketing campaign has been encouraging Irish people to discover the joy of holidaying in Ireland. With restrictions for tourism and hospitality businesses easing, the upcoming shoulder season is an important time for the tourism sector in Clare. Rolling into Autumn, the next phase of the ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign is kicking off this month at a national, regional and county level. The campaign will aim to tempt those with remaining annual leave to book a break during the autumn and winter in Clare and other destinations in the country. Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Marketing, Niall Tracey, commented: “The campaign will showcase the great places to explore across the country with a dedicated ‘Keep Discovering Clare’ county video airing on national TV on Wednesday September …