In this Issue:

Tourism News Travel News Recipe Final Thought

Tourism News

Drop in UK visitors causes alarm for Ireland's tourism
The latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) confirms that British tourism arrivals to Ireland are down 6% for the period December-February. This represents 49,200 fewer British visitors compared to the same period last year and is real evidence that the Irish tourism industry is very vulnerable to Brexit.

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Northern Irelands tourism taxes could be slashed post-Brexit
Tax on tourism and flights in the North could be slashed once the UK leaves the EU, an influential committee of MPs has said. The hospitality industry pays VAT at a rate more than twice that of competitors in the Republic.EU law prevents member states from setting different levels of the charge for different regions. That power will be repatriated to the UK after Brexit.

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Spring Events 2017

16th - 19th March 2017
Kilkenny Trad Festival
The 5th Kilkenny TradFest returns from the 16th to 19th March 2017. The festival showcases the best of Irish traditional music, in a variety of unique venues across Kilkenny city. Held across St.Patrick’s Day weekend, the festival is accessible to everyone, with both free and ticketed events.
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16th - 19th March 2017
Dublin St Patrick's Day Festival
Celebrate Now, the theme for the 2017 Festival Parade, will be brought to life by leading pageant companies on March 17th - their fantastical creations and thrilling performances, inspired by the present, will enthral and excite the crowds.
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13th - 17th April 2017
Galway Food Festival

Join us from March 13th - 17th April 2017 for five festive days of open-air markets, food trails and family fun. Last year, over 70,000 people attended Galway Food Festival events including the festival food village at Spanish Arch; the Galway, Moycullen and Woodquay Country Markets and a packed programme of talks, tours, tastings, demonstrations and workshops involving over 100 restaurants, food outlets and food producers located across the city and County.
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18th - 23rd April 2017
Pan Celtic Festival 2017
The festival takes place from 18th - 23rd April 2017. All events, times and locations of the various activities are detailed in the programme
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Travel and Tourism Statistics
In the period January - March 2017, the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 0.6% to 1,796,200 - an overall increase of 11,500 compared to the same period twelve months earlier The following table shows trips made to Ireland between January - March 2017, compared with the same period the previous year and indicates where the visitors came from.
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Travel News

All female crew set to take off on International Women's Day
Aer Lingus operated a flight from Dublin to London with an all-female team, in celebration of International Women's Day. Flight EI162 departed for London Heathrow at noon, piloted by Captain Louise Gilroy and First Officer Amy Cunningham The pilots were joined by an all-female cabin crew, with operational roles including Turnaround Co-ordinator, Flight Operations Officer, Dublin Airport Duty Manger and Guest Service Agents all carried out by women.
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New flight Kerry Airport to Lapland
Santa fans can swap one kingdom for another this winter, as Sunway announces its first flight from Kerry to Lapland. The tour operator is to run a one-night package from Farranfore to Rovaniemi, departing December 13 and returning the following day. The one-night 'Santa’s Sleepover' trip is billed as "a holiday of a lifetime", and includes reindeer sleigh rides, snow-mobile trips and a meeting with the man himself.
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Travel the Irish Sea for a fiver!
They say a fiver doesn’t take you far these days! Well ferry company Stena Line disagrees! Their brand new Fiver Fever fare will take you across the Irish Sea, to Scotland or England, for a fun adventure that won’t break the bank – but be quick as you only have three days to bag a bargain!
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Recipe

Potato & Irish Cheddar Rolls

Serves 6-8
100g potatoes
2 tbsp reserved cooking water from potatoes
25g fresh yeast or 15 g dry yeast
50g sugar
450g white flour (warm the flour in a warmed bowl if it has been stored in a cool place)
1 tsp salt
50g butter
150ml warm milk
milk for glazing
100g of cheddar cheese, grated

Method

Cook the potatoes in salted water and drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. You can also use leftover mash here.
Mash the potatoes very well or press through a fine sieve into a basin, then cover and keep warm.
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the sugar, yeast and the mashed potatoes, mixing well.
Add the tepid milk and 150 ml (1/4 pint) water to the yeast liquid, mix and add to the mixing bowl. Bring together into a rough dough and then tip onto work surface. Knead very well until is springs back when pressed.
Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and cut into 10-12 pieces. Roll the pieces into dough balls and place in a buttered, floured casserole pot. Cover and leave in a warm place for about an hour, until the dough balls have doubled in size.
Once risen, brush with a little milk, sprinkle with the cheese and bake at 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7 for 15–20 minutes.
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Final Thought

May the blessing of light be on you light without and light within. May the blessed sunlight shine on you and warm your heart till it glows like a great peat fire.
Old Celtic Blessing

Happy St Patricks Day

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