A LIMERICK city resident has criticised Fáilte Ireland for omitting Limerick from the Wild Atlantic Way route and for rejecting his calls to, literally, get Limerick on the map.
Evan Fox also spoke of his bewilderment at the inclusion of Killarney, which is 25km from tidal water, on the route ahead of port city Limerick. He told of how he has lobbied for the city to be included on the Wild Atlantic Way route, but his attempts have so far been unsuccessful.
“I met with the Mayor last week and he made some calls internally, but they came back and said there wasn’t much chance of getting Limerick on it. I’ve emailed and Facebooked Fáilte Ireland but they’ve ignored me.
“Killarney’s presence is my main point. There were a few guys on the ball down there at the time the Wild Atlantic Way was being routed and we didn’t have the politicians here to get us on it.”
Mr Fox, who has set up a Facebook page championing Limerick’s inclusion on the route, said he was also disappointed by the reaction of some people closer to home.
“I commented on the [Facebook] pages of a few businesses near the river and some of them liked and shared it, but not many. One page even deleted my comment.
“I find that Limerick can be slow enough to latch on to these things. If that was Galway I would bet that they would make sure they got onto it. I just find that we need to publicise Limerick a bit better.”
When contacted about the matter, Fáilte Ireland’s Fiona Monaghan, head of the Wild Atlantic Way, responded: “Limerick has been positioned as a gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way.
“It is extremely well equipped to exploit the Wild Atlantic Way proposition with its ease of access, range of good value, high quality accommodation and strong heritage and culture profile. Fáilte Ireland is working closely with tourism businesses throughout Limerick to help them to exploit their position close to the Wild Atlantic Way.
“Fáilte Ireland has also invested significantly in Limerick’s tourism product to further ensure its ability to exploit the Wild Atlantic Way. A recent success story, for example, is Fáilte Ireland’s €4.7 million investment in the redevelopment of King John’s Castle, an attraction which is already exceeding its visitor targets.”
WILD ATLANTIC WAY
The Wild Atlantic Way is a tourism trail stretching along the entire west coast. The 2,500 km route goes from the Inishowen Peninsula to Kinsale and it is already shaping up as one of the country’s top tourist attractions. Along the route there are places and attractions that have been designated as points of interest for travellers. €10 million has already been allocated for signposting the route and it is prominently featured in all of Fáilte Ireland’s tourism promotions.
