Tag Archives: Cliffs of Moher

A tour operators from India has visited Clare this week, in advance of attending a B2B workshop with Irish tourism enterprises in Dublin on this Thursday. The visit is being organised by Tourism Ireland, in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, to encourage the visiting tour operators to extend the Ireland content of their existing programmes or to include Ireland for the first time in their 2015 programmes. The group’s itinerary included lunch at The Tea & Garden Rooms in Ballyvaughan, a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, a site inspection at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel, as well as an evening at the medieval banquet in Bunratty Castle. The group stayed at the Bunratty Castle Hotel. Jim Paul, Tourism Ireland’s head of Australia and developing markets, said the visit of the group is particularly timely following the launch of the new British-Irish Visa Scheme last week. “The introduction of the British-Irish Visa Scheme is really good news, making it easier …

Some 750,000 Belgians are the latest TV viewers who will be given an insight into the Banner County the Wild Atlantic Way. A crew from one of the most popular weekly travel shows, Vlaanderen Vakantieland (Flanders on Holiday), on VRT, a national Belgian TV network, travelled on the invitation of Tourism Ireland to film along the Wild Atlantic Way this summer. They captured footage for four different episodes, which are airing this month in Belgium. Two well-known Belgian actors are featured enjoying the relaxed pace of a holiday by horse-drawn caravan along the route. Filming was carried out at various locations, including Clare Heritage Museum, the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. The TV show will also feature sea-kayaking at Ballyvaughan and Dolphinwatch conservation in Carrigaholt. The episodes filmed in Ireland are also being promoted by Tourism Ireland on its website, www.ireland.com, by email marketing and social media activity; as well as on the Vlaanderen Vakantieland website.  

Paddling from Doolin to Liscannor beneath the Cliffs of Moher will be among the challenges along the Wild Atlantic Way highlighted as one of the world’s outdoor activity destinations in a US TV series, Facing Waves. The show is broadcast into eight million US homes through Outside Television’s TV network, which reaches one of the most sought after demographics in the adventure travel world. The episode featuring Ireland will be broadcast early next year to over 50 million homes, as it is syndicated to over 25 other countries. The ‘First Lady’ of stand up paddle fitness, Nikki Gregg from Ohio is currently in Ireland filming with Dave O’Hara of SUPForAll (Sligo) along The Wild Atlantic Way. Filming is concentrated on the Sligo area and the famous Mullaghmore wave; weather permitting filming will also include paddling from Doolin to Liscannor beneath the Cliffs of Moher. The Wild Atlantic Way will feature within a full, 30-minute episode of Facing Waves, which is …

Plans for a park and ride facility to serve people going to the Cliffs of Moher have stalled. Clare County Council decided not to extend the period of planning permission for the car park at Liscannor. In July, Lazarus Investments Limited applied to the local authority to extend the permission, which was granted in 2009 and will cease to have effect on January 2, 2015. An initial application was made in May and refused at the end of June. The reasons given for this were disputed by a planning firm, acting on behalf of the Lazarus Investments Ltd, in a letter accompanying the July application. The letter said the applicant received legal advice that the decision was “erroneous, fundamentally flawed and that there are very strong grounds to judicially review the decision”. It went on to say the application was being relodged, to “give the planning authority an opportunity to rectify their apparent errors and to grant planning permission”. Last …

A number of Clare tourism enterprises were in the vanguard of a major tourism sales drive when the Irish tourism sector met with top overseas travel buyers this week. The second in a series of targeted 2015 sales drive of international tourism workshops focused on the British coach tour sector, with Clare businesses such as The Armada Hotel, the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin2 Aran Ferries pitching directly to agents from the British market. The workshop saw a total of 86 Irish tourism trade meet with 18 GB Coach and Group Operators who were very keen to develop business contacts and business relationships with Ireland. Martina Bromley, head of sales with Fáilte Ireland, stressed the importance of hosting events like these and the benefits for the Irish trade involved. “We are delighted to welcome these important GB Coach and Group Operators to our shore as they plan their 2015 packages. These overseas agents have the capacity to deliver significant amounts …

SEVEN people involved in an illegal “cruise and drift” event in North Clare last March, organised on Facebook, have been fined €750 and disqualified from driving for six months having shown “total disregard for human beings”. Wayne Danaher, aged 19, with an address at Snipe Lodge, Knockagulla, Lisdoonvarna and 20-year-old Jennifer Canavan, of Derrymore, Lahinch pleaded guilty at Ennis District Court on Wednesday evening to a public order charge of engaging in offensive conduct in public on March 8. Meanwhile, Gabriel Weck, aged 21, of Bealcragga, Connolly, 27-year-old Shaun Larkin of 22 Inis Carraig, Ennis, Sean Keane, aged 19, of Ballyhannon, Quin, 21-year-old Rory Downes of Clonakilla, Kilmilhil, and Kevin Baker, aged 18, of Finn Trá, Miltown Malbay pleaded guilty to careless driving on the same date. Galway-based detective Garda Barry Walsh gave evidence that on the request of Superintendent Seamus Nolan in Kilrush he carried out a surveillance operation of an event in North Clare on the night of …

THE Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark will mark Earth Science Week 2014 in October by hosting a series of events. Earth Science week was initiated in 1998 by the American Geosciences Institute which has been holding events in the third week of October ever since. Geological associations and institutes around the world now participate to promote awareness and education of all aspects of Earth Science. Among the events being hosted by the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark is a fieldtrip for university students looking at climate change in the rocks of the Burren.  There will also be a water tracing project for transition year students from Lisdoonvarna Secondary School, which is being supported by the Clare Caving Club, the Geological Survey of Ireland and Clare County Council.

Representatives of some of the top American business tourism companies, as well as journalists from two leading American business publications, are on a fact-finding visit to Clare and Ireland this week, as guests of Tourism Ireland, in conjunction with Irish destination management company, Irish Horizons. The group’s itinerary includes a tour of the facilities at Dromoland Castle; and visits to the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. The group includes two specialist journalists writing for the business tourism sector in the United States – for the publications Global Traveler magazine and Hotel Management – as well as senior representatives of companies involved in the MICE (meetings, incentive, conferences and events) industry, who organise international conferences, meetings and large-scale incentive events around the world. They are here to discover more about the meeting facilities and accommodation on offer in this part of Ireland, as well as the great experiences business delegates can enjoy here on the …