National Geographic Bundoran

Bundoran, in Ireland’s County Donegal, has received one of the best surfing accolades around: a listing as one of the top 20 surf destinations in the world by National Geographic.

The world-renowned magazine puts Bundoran as the best place to start any surfing adventure on the Emerald Isle and recommends the rugged northwest corner of Ireland’s long Atlantic coastline for “the salty surf traveller who doesn’t mind surfing in cold water or rain”.

Bundoran was one of two European destinations to make it onto the magazine’s coveted list.
According to National Geographic what makes an awesome surf town is a special combination of factors that make up the ‘perfect wave’.

In the case of Bundoran, the ingredients include welcoming accommodation, friendly locals, lively nightlife, good food and plenty to do when the waves don’t come out to play.

The centuries-old fishing village catches just about any swell that powers across the North Atlantic onto beaches and reefs that suit different levels of surfers.

Ireland’s most famous reef break, The Peak, is also a Bundoran resident.

The town of Bundoran offers a choice of surf shops, surf schools and a wide range of accommodation to stow the board and rest the head, from budget options to luxury hotel rooms with an ocean view.

“Bundoran has always been recognised globally as a surfing town and coming into September and November is when the water is at its warmest, the Atlantic is at full throttle and the crowd is definitely stoked,” says regular visitor Sharon Doherty.

“If you’re new to Bundoran, get down to the Fitzgerald’s or the Bridge Bar to meet surfers, locals and musicians. The craic is second to none.”

Tullan Strand is regarded as the main surfing stretch, but the locals will advise on loads of surrounding reefs and beaches that work on a variety of swells.

Over the last two decades Ireland has become a mecca for surfers. Described by National Geographic as ‘Europe’s cold-water Indonesia’, the craggy coastline with its huge unspoiled beaches and impressive waves is now one of the world’s must-surfs.

Surfers with an appetite for variety can ride the waves at Ireland’s other great surfing towns, including Easkey in Sligo, Lahinch in County Clare and Portrush on County Antrim’s famous Causeway Coast.

In Donegal, a land-based adventure around this region’s breathtaking scenery offers further thrills beyond surfing, including the sea cliffs at Slieve League, among the most spectacular in Ireland.

The Gathering Community Meetings

Throughout 2012, people in each county in Ireland will be invited to participate in a Community Meeting, organised by a local Gathering Steering Group.
At the meeting, you will have an opportunity to hear about The Gathering, learn how you can become involved and develop ideas for gatherings in groups with others from your community.
The Community Meetings will be advertised in your local newspapers & radio.

Donegal Community Meetings

The following dates and venues have been arranged for the Community Meetings in Co. Donegal:

10th September 2012 @ 7pm – Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny

18th September 2012 @ 7pm – Inishowen Gateway Hotel, Buncrana

19th September 2012 @ 7pm – Maghery Resource Centre, Dungloe

25th September 2012 @ 7pm – Jackson’s Hotel, Ballybofey

26th September 2012 @ 7pm – Solis Lough Eske, Donegal Town

This promises to be an exciting and worthwhile experience for all involved.

For more information, please contact:
Máire Aine Gardiner
Gathering Ireland 2013 – North West Co-ordinator
Failte Ireland
Blaney Road
Letterkenny
Co. Donegal
Tel: 074-9160026
Email: maireaine.gardiner@failteireland.ie

Branding Donegal

Tell us about (y)our Donegal. What makes it special? What makes it Donegal?

Branding Donegal is an initiative to develop an evocative and compelling brand for the county. Why develop a unified Donegal brand? Because it can help Donegal attract more visitors and inward investment and can ultimately lead to job creation and greater prosperity.

But our brand must truly reflect who we are and what makes Donegal special. So tell us what you think. What makes Donegal, well, Donegal?

The initiative has been called to life by the Donegal County Enterprise Board and is funded by Donegal Local Development Company.

Please let us know your thoughts via our Facebook Page

Rathmullan on Lesser Spotted Ulster

Rathmullan on Lesser Spotted Ulster

We very nearly didn’t have room to squeeze into Alfie McCollum’s shop, the old courthouse, in Rathmullan. I don’t think I have ever been in a more congested space.

Every inch of it was crammed from floor to ceiling with the most extraordinary collections of memorabilia, antiques, bric-a-brac, crockery, jewellery, glassware, paintings, signs, postcards, toys, skeletons (yes skeletons) and at least one specimen of every single man-made object that ever existed on earth.

Well, that might be a slight exaggeration but that’s the way it seemed to our camera crew who had to find somewhere to stand with their equipment without sending whole cabinets of fragile and irreplaceable objects crashing to the ground.

Thankfully Vinny Cunningham, our cameraman, and Billy Gallagher, a sound man if ever there was one, don’t take up much room.

Vinny is tall and thin and Billy doesn’t eat much, but even so they had to inch sideways into position and then stand very still and try not to breathe for an hour or so.

It was quite a challenge for them, but after many years of filming Lesser Spotted Ulster they’re well used to finding themselves in strange, awkward and often downright scary places. They’ve been up mountains, down caves, crawled through souterrains, waded swollen rivers, sailed the seas in every imaginable type of craft and even climbed to the top of cathedral spires in gale force winds.

They’ve done all this while burdened down with gear that weighs as much as two bags of coal.

Have they ever complained? Frequently, but I just ignore them.

Seriously though, Vinny and Billy are a great double act, one of the main reasons why Lesser Spotted Ulster is such a joy to do.

Their technical skills, I take for granted, it’s the quiet, unfussy and unobtrusive way they go about their business that makes them such an invaluable part of the team. They’re really expert at putting people at their ease, relaxing them, making the whole process as painless as possible.

Often when we finish recording people will say, “Is that it?”

The true skill of a documentary camera crew is their ability to be invisible.

Vinny and Billy are brilliant at it. It’s time they got a mention.

This article, by Joe Mahon, appears on utv website.

Lovely Day in Portsalon

Lovely Day in Portsalon – photos taken on Thursday 9th August 2012 in the Portsalon area.

Portsalon is situated on the west bank of Lough Swilly and is home to the renowned Portsalon Golf Club – a must for any golf enthusiast. The village, with it’s picturesque little harbour, is located at one end of Ballymastocker Bay which is skirted by one of the most spectacular sandy beaches in Ireland.

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Local activities include boating and fishing in the harbour, golf at Portsalon Golf Club, hill walking and cycling. The area makes an ideal base for visiting the Fanad Peninsula and the many hidden beauties of northwest Donegal.

The Harbour also has a quaint spirit-grocers (a legacy of rural Ireland left over from many years ago) where customers can still buy sweets and basic provisions at one end of the counter and quench their thirst at the other end! Enjoy a relaxing break in one of the most unspoilt and beautiful parts of Ireland.

Tourism Towns Ireland

Tourism Towns Ireland

The top ten “Highly Commended Tourism Towns” will be announced at the National TidyTowns Awards in the Helix on September 10th with the overall winner to be announced by Fáilte Ireland in November.  The top ten towns will each receive €1,000 with the winner receiving a further €10,000.

The Award has been designed to help Irish towns and villages enhance their appeal to tourists visiting their local area. Building on the TidyTowns seal of approval, we invited the 100 top scoring towns from the 2011 TidyTown Competition to apply for the very first Tourism Towns Award.

Welcoming the new scheme, Leo Varadkar Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said –
A strong tourism sector can contribute greatly to the economic viability of a local community, and this new award is another step towards supporting Irish towns and villages to provide visitors with a welcoming and enjoyable experience while at the same time boosting local business.

I am very much looking forward to the announcement of the top ten and the overall winner later in the year – best of luck and sincere thanks to all those towns and communities involved.

This new award is being piloted as part of the 2012 National TidyTowns Competition. It is offering towns, which finished among the top 100 towns in last year’s competition, the chance to build on their achievement in 2011 and develop their local area into one that welcomes, involves and satisfies the visitor.

The award will focus on how participating towns have developed their local area in the following key tourism areas:

• Sense of Place – How the town tells its own unique story to visitors, what’s special about it, and what distinguishes it from other towns.
• Local Involvement – How the local community works together to provide an authentic visitor experience.
• Tourism Products Available – What the town has to offer visitors.
• Development and promotion of the town – How the town takes a unified approach to marketing and developing the town into a “tourism town”.

Gordon Gaffney, Manager of our Destination Development Division, highlighted the characteristics of a tourism town and the mechanics of the award scheme –
A good tourism town is not alone a tidy town, after all first impressions are very important but the role that communities play in welcoming visitors and telling the story of the local area all add significantly to the enjoyment that visitors have.

We have taken great care in drawing up the assessment criteria, ensuring that towns receiving an award have enhanced the experience of their visitors, improved their local ‘tourism offering’ and encouraged community wide participation in the development of local tourism.

The Gathering 2013 – Update

The Gathering 2013 – Update

Key Programmes Festival & Events

A number of themed programmes are being developed around key areas for which Ireland is renowned (Music, Dance, Theatre, Literature, Film, Sport, Food etc). Most of these programmes will be developed around one (or more) key event(s), but will also incorporate a number of other smaller existing events supporting this theme.

An example of this is the Festival of Sport which is likely to centre around a number of key events developed by key sporting bodies (FAI, IRFU and GAA etc). However, these are also likely to be supported by smaller, more regionally based events (eg: International TAG rugby competition).

A renowned figurehead is being identified and asked to assist in the creative aspect of each programme, with the effect of adding more credibility and appeal to it (eg: Seamus Heaney, Kevin Dundon etc).

The programmes will have as wide a regional spread as possible, taking into consideration any capacity or infrastructural constraints.

Some of these programmes will take place within a particular month, while others may be at a few different times throughout the year – allowing programmes to be take place at the most appropriate time for the specific target audience(s).

These will then be used as a hook for tour operators to sell Ireland in 2013 (either to enhance their existing Ireland programmes or around which they will build a New Ireland programme). They will also provide a focus around which individual Gatherings can be organised.

Among the established festivals that will offer enhanced programmes are, New Year’s Eve Festival, St. Patrick’s Festival, Galway Arts Festival, Cork Choral Festival, Dublin Horse Show, Bloom, Wexford Opera Festival, Temple Bar Trad Fest, love:live music International Music Day & the Comhaltas Regional fleadhs

The Gathering will kick off in spectacular style with a major large scale New Year’s Eve Festival in Dublin 2012. The Festival will involve open-air concerts, markets, multiplicity of family and musical events, with a special showcase event on New Year’s Eve in College Green featuring an array of some of Ireland’s finest musical talent.The event will be broadcast live by RTE, and available online to a global audience. Cork, Galway, Limerick & Dublin will be part of the NYE events.

St Patrick’s Festival 2013 will, as always, be marked by a national week-long festival around the cornerstone of St Patricks Day. Dubbed as “An Feile Mor”, the celebration in 2013 will provide an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s impact on the world and to celebrate everything that’s great about Ireland and its people. Ireland is unique in terms of having a national festival which is so widely and prominently celebrated around the globe and in 2013 the message will be communicated worldwide that this is the year to celebrate it in Ireland.

Partner Organisations

The Gathering has secured support from a large number of National Organisations . They have committed to supporting the Gathering by agreeing to organise national events, informing their membership at home & overseas about the Gathering, mobilising their members nationally to play their part at local and county level & targeting their international networks to travel to Ireland in 2013.

Partners include; The DAA, Aer Lingus, Irish Rail, Dublin Bus, Scouting Ireland, Chambers Ireland, Irish Country Women’s Association, ICMSA, Irish Farmers’ Association, Ireland Reaching Out, Certificate of Irish Heritage, Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Eireann, Conradh Na Gaeilge,Irish Sports Council, IRFU, FAI, GAA, Horse Racing Ireland, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, KPMG, & PwC. Discussions are also taking put in place with a number of commercial partners including Diageo, Super Valu, Britvic etc.

County Steering Groups & Gathering Community Meetings

The Gathering 2013 – Update : Each local Authority has now appointed a Gathering co-ordinator who will work with community leaders and activists drawn from a range of organisations aswell as being supported by Fáilte Ireland in each region. A Gathering Steering group is being formed in each county to help drive Gathering initiatives and ensure coordination of activities within and across counties. The Gathering will be the largest ever citizen engagement programme undertaken in Ireland, with over 100 Gathering public meetings being organised in 2012 to build commitment all over the country towards the project. Similarly overseas a number of meetings are being organized by Tourism Ireland targeting Irish people that can support & organise

Gatherings in 2013

RTE Partnership RTE is a key partner of the Gathering (in addition to all of the main media owners in the country). They are producing a 6 part series in late July which will show the journey of a celebrity returning home to their local town/village, going through the church records to trace their roots, attending a Gathering Town Hall and organising a ‘Gathering’ for their friends. This will air in October and will be supported by radio & digital platforms in RTE. A number of other Gathering related TV programmes are also in development which will be aired in 2013.

The Gathering 2013 – Update – Marketing Communications & PR

The campaign will include both traditional platforms and social media to support individuals, communities, businesses etc to invite family, friends & networks to Ireland to create and renew connections that will benefit Ireland throughout 2013 and beyond. The updated Gathering website will be live in September. A significant international marketing campaign will be launched at the Navy Notre Dame football game in Dublin in September. The domestic consumer launch will take place at the GAA Hurling Championship All Ireland Final.

Visitor Experience Plans will be developed in September to ensure visitors travelling to Ireland in 2013 have the best possible experience during the Gathering year. This will include from arrival to the airport to, travelling around Ireland , where they stay, eat, & what they experience to ensure every stage of the customer journey is delivering an authentic special experience. A customer charter during the Gathering year will also be developed Schools Programme A nationwide campaign is being developed which will be rolled out to primary schools in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills. It is targeted at 5th and 6th classes with a total audience of circa 120,000 pupils in 3,200 schools.

John Murray Show Video Highlights

John Murray Show Video Highlights

Here are some highlights from The John Murray Show’s trip to Dunfanaghy in Co. Donegal. As part of the show, a walk was recorded in Carrigart the evening before.

… and here are the photos from the trip

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Wild Atlantic Way Update

Wild Atlantic Way Update

The Wild Atlantic Way is an exciting new project which involves the development of a driving route along the Atlantic coast of Ireland from Donegal to Cork. Theroute itself will comprise of a central spine, togetherwith a series of loops and spurs off it to encouragepeople to explore all that the west coast has to offer.

It will showcase the best scenery and attractions for visitors with improved on-road infrastructure such as viewing points and lay-bys. It will also provide better opportunities for enhanced trade collaboration aroundthe Wild Atlantic Way brand.

The route will also link with walking and cycling routes, and will offer lots of opportunities to visitors to get active in the great out-doors. As such, it is a driving route with a difference, offering visitors more reasons to get out of the car that to stay in it!

The overall objective of the project to develop a driving route that is of sufficient scale and singularity to achieve greater visibility in both overseas and domestic markets. The planned outcomes are greater visitor numbers to the west of Ireland, longer dwell time and increased spend per visitor. We want the Wild Atlantic Way to become synonymous with the west coast and for it to achieve the same international recognition as the Great Ocean Road in Australia or the Garden Route in South Africa.

Click here to view full details in pdf format.