Welcome to Travel Directories Ireland Newsletter for Spring 2019

Tourism News

Global Greening for St Patrick’s Day

Victoria Falls, York’s medieval City Walls, the Eden Project in Cornwall, a leopard statue called ‘Chiu’ in Nairobi, Nation Towers in Abu Dhabi, the Château de Beaulieu on the banks of the Loire, the Atakule Tower in Ankara and the Shizuoka Stadium ECOPA in Japan, where Ireland will play Japan in the Rugby World Cup in September, will join the Global Greening initiative for the first time in 2019.
Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons said the agency currently has 288 global sites already going green this year but that he expects 400 to sign up by the day itself.
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Irish Hotels Feel Brexit Effect
Business sentiment amongst Irish hotels and guesthouses has deteriorated sharply year on year, representing a stark change in outlook compared with 2018 according to the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF). An industry survey* undertaken by the IHF ahead of its annual conference in the Gleneagle Hotel & INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry, reveals that only 40% of hoteliers now have a positive outlook for their business over the next 12 months. This compares with 79% who reported a positive outlook at the start of 2018.
Major concerns for the sector include the continued risk of a disruptive Brexit and reduced competitiveness due to the hike in tourism VAT, increases in the cost of doing business and growing economic uncertainty internationally. In particular, the higher VAT rate is putting investment in additional hotel capacity at risk, with 75% of hoteliers stating they are now reassessing plans to increase capital investment as a result of the increase.
Performance so far this year has been mixed, with 39% of hoteliers reporting a drop in overall business levels compared to this time last year while 48% report an increase. This has largely been driven by growth from North America and Europe, which is masking continued poor performance of the UK market. Almost two thirds of hoteliers (65%) say advance bookings for 2019 from the Great Britain are down while almost six in ten (57%) are seeing a fall in advance bookings from Northern Ireland.
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New €10m distillery in Cork expects 35,000 visitors annually
A new €10m distillery in west Cork is providing a welcome boost to the local economy as it expects to attract 35,000 visitors a year.
The Clonakilty Distillery will create 35 new jobs, and intends to use goods and services from farmers and other local businesses where possible. The start of the art hub comprises of a visitor experience, a gin school and The Whale’s Tail Bistro, located less than 15 minutes drive from the founders based at Scully farm.
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Travel and Tourism Statistics
The following table shows trips made to Ireland in January 2019, compared with the same period in 2018 and also indicates where the visitors came from. more>>

Travel News

New Flights
Dublin Airport
• Loganair will operate a five times weekly service to Carlisle Lake District Airport starting July 4th.
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• Hainan Airlines will operate a year-round service with two flights per week to Shenzhen.
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• Air Baltic will launch a new service, four times per week, to Riga in the summer.
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Cork Airport
• Ryanair has extended its summer services to Alicante, Budapest, Malta and Poznan, twice-weekly for the forthcoming winter season.
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Ireland West (Knock) Airport
• Ryanair will operate a new weekly service to Tenerife every Thursday.
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New February Record At Dublin Airport
Just over 2 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport in February, a 9% increase over the same month last year.
This is the first time in the airport’s 79-year history that passenger numbers have surpassed two million in February, which is traditionally the quietest month of the year.
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Events Spring 2019

St. Patrick’s Day Festival, Dublin 2019
14th – 18th March, Dublin
The principal aim of St. Patrick’s Festival, since its inauguration, is to develop a major annual international festival around the national holiday over which the ‘owners’ of the festival, the Irish people, would stand proud. It sets out to reflect the talents and achievements of Irish people on many national and world stages, and it acts as an exciting showcase for the manifold skills of the people of Ireland, of every age and social background.
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Gaelforce
Various Dates, Nationwide
This year choose to enter the elements. Get out there - train, push, sweat, swear in every weather and across all terrains but never give in until you reach the line at a Killary Gaelforce Event. All of our adventure challenges will see you embrace the elements and emerge victorious, for there is no other option. It is just you and the elements.
We want everyone to be a part of this and so there are challenges ranging from a 10km trail run around Howth Summit to a 154km endurance challenge in the new Gaelforce West Ultra. If your element is water, enter the Great Fjord Swim or if the call of untracked mountains is in your blood choose the Gaelforce Mountain Run.
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Woolly's Quest - Branar Téatar do Pháistí
6th April 2019 , The Everyman, Cork.
Woolly was the first sheep who dared to be different, she dared to be adventurous, she dared to discover what happens to her wool. Join Woolly on her audacious quest to reclaim her shorn fleece, marvel at her sheer bravery on a journey fraught with peril to learn what life looms beyond the gate.
A rip-roaring yarn, Woolly’s Quest has it all, Branar weaves together storytelling, music, song and puppetry in a pulsating show that will have audiences of all ages hooked!
This is a bilingual show performed in both English & Gaelic.
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The 4th Acoustic Yard Music Festival
10th – 12th May 2019, Westport, Co. Mayo
‘The Acoustic Yard’ singer/songwriter sessions’ initially started up as a monthly event in Matt Molloy’s Yard Bar in Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland in February 2014.
The main focus was for singer/songwriters to have a platform to perform their own songs and for audiences to listen to original music in a relaxed environment. A key aim was to help to invigorate and stimulate songwriting and to supply an evening of entertainment.
Due to the success of this event, the idea of ‘The Acoustic Yard Singer/Songwriters Festival’ was born and developed and The Acoustic Yard Radio Show was created simultaneously. The radio programme can be heard on the global internet station of ‘Blues and Roots Radio’ and features independent singer/songwriters mostly from Ireland.
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K-Fest
31st May – 2nd June 2019, Killorglin, Co. Kerry
K-FEST, a dynamic arts festival with an emphasis on emerging artists, uses unoccupied spaces in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, transforming vacant retail outlets, deserted buildings, and even domestic homes into curated bespoke pop-up galleries and venues over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
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Recipe

Crushed potato colcannon with bacon & poached eggs
Prep: 15 mins - Cook: 25 - 30 mins
Serves: 4

Method
1. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 18-20 mins or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, fill a second pan with water, bring to the boil and cook the cabbage for about 3 mins until just tender. Drain in a colander, run under cold water to quickly cool, then drain again.
3. Ten mins before the potatoes are ready, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon for 3-4 mins until lightly coloured. Add the spring onions and cabbage to the frying pan and heat through, stirring.
4. Half-fill the pan used to cook the cabbage with water, bring to the boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes in a colander, then return them to their pan. Add the butter and seasoning, and crush roughly with a potato masher. Stir the cabbage, bacon and onions lightly into the potatoes. Keep warm over a very low heat.
5. Crack the eggs into the gently simmering water and poach for 3 mins. Spoon the colcannon onto 4 warmed plates. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place on top. Season with black pepper and serve.

For more recipe ideas click here more>>

Quote

“Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.”
- Alex Levine

Slán

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