Tag Archives: Wild Atlantic Way

APPROXIMATELY €700,000 has been allocated for a number of road projects on the Wild Atlantic Way route in Clare. Over €2.5m has been allocated to funding the road network in the county for 2015. The 2015 allocation of €2,564,283 to Clare County Council for the national road network represents an increase of €565,802 on last year’s allocation. The announcement was made by the Minister for Transport, Sport and Tourism, Pascal Donohoe. Funding of €400,000 for pavement strengthening at Lisdeen on the N67 and €300,000 for pavement overlay north of Doonbeg on the same road, which is on the Wild Atlantic Way, has been approved. “€450,000 in funding has also been provided for pavement overlay on the N67 at Ballingaddy, €200,000 for pavement overlay on the N67 at Drummin, with €100,00 allocated for works at Blakes Corner,” Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen said. “I am very pleased to see funding allocated for a number of projects on the N67, particularly …

Minister of State for Tourism, Michael Ring has announced the provision of an additional €850,000 for Fáilte Ireland, much of which will be invested in developing the web presence of the Wild Atlantic Way and Dublin. The funding is part of the Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, which was recently announced by Minister Paschal Donohoe. “The provision of €850,000 to Fáilte Ireland as part of the Supplementary Estimate will be used to support IT investments, including promoting the Wild Atlantic Way and Dublin. This will ensure that marketing and social media aspects of promotion can be prioritised so that the message about Ireland’s attractiveness is delivered loud and clear. This will allow us to continue to build on the strong growth we have seen in tourism in 2014.” The Government has already provided €8 million in funding for the Wild Atlantic Way this year to establish discovery points and enhance signage as well as other …

The Wild Atlantic Way has won the Best Tourist Attraction at the third InBusiness Editor’s Choice Awards. A number of leading Irish companies and individuals were recognised at an awards ceremony in Dublin, to honour outstanding achievement in the Irish business community. All the winners were selected based on the broad criteria of growth, profile of business, range of services and customer care. The Government, via Fáilte Ireland, had provided for a significant investment of €10 million this year for the route (stretching from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale) to bring it alive and boost its attraction for overseas visitors. Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring said, ‘This award is the latest accolade for an initiative, which has proved to be a huge success to date. As someone from the west, I have seen first- hand the enthusiasm out there for this project and it’s not only amongst tourism businesses but also in the wider …

A comprehensive report on the proposed marketing of the Loop Head and Kilkee Heritage Trail on the Wild Atlantic Way, has identified 18 heritage sites in the peninsula area. The report on the pilot project, a collaboration between Clare County Council Heritage Officer, Congella Maguire, the Heritage Council, Fáilte Ireland and Loop Head Tourism, will be launched later this month. The project was community-based with the aim to develop a local heritage trail along this 60km section of the 2,500km Wild Atlantic Way. A total of 18 heritage trail sites were deemed to be worthy of inclusion in the final list, which includes the four Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Points. One of the key recommendations in the report is that consideration be given to locating information on Carrigaholt Castle in the village which is within sight and walking distance of the historic building. “Due to the prominence of Carrigaholt Castle in the local landscape it is recommended that dialogue be …

County Clare and the Wild Atlantic Way have prominent mentions in the latest Lonely Planet Guide, which has named Ireland as one of the top five countries in the world to visit next year. “It is very important for Irish tourism to receive such an endorsement when one considers the growing competition from developing tourism destinations,”stated Donnagh Gregson, chair of the Clare Tourism Forum. “The inclusion of Ireland alongside Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania and Nicaragua in the Top 10 list is evidence of the outstanding performance of the domestic tourism sector in recent years in spite of the general downturn in the global economy. Ireland is obviously succeeding in marketing itself to newer markets, such as India and China and at the same time remaining an attractive destination for our traditional tourist markets,” she said. Continuing, Ms Gregson said, “It is particularly satisfying to see that Clare has been singled out by the guide for its hospitality, which is something that …

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 …