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Ireland becoming the destination of choice
 By
Trevor O ’Sullivan
MORE and more people are opting for Ireland as their prime holiday location.
Overseas visitors to Ireland are expected to grow by 5.5 per cent this
year to almost 7.8million.
The latest boost to the tourism sector comes from the Forbes Traveler
website which has included a number of Irish destinations in its latest
holiday recommendations.
The site features a number of holiday Top-10 lists and Ireland is featured
prominently.
In their Top-10 coastal drives in the world they pay homage to the Ring
of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula.
The site praises their “breathtaking ocean views” and compares
them favourably with similar routes in the French Riviera and Tasmanian
Coast in Australia.
The Ring of Kerry stretches South West from Killarney for 65km (40 miles)
and travels through the towns of Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahirciveen,
Glenbeigh and Killorglin.
The Dingle Peninsula stretches Westward for 50km (30 miles) from Tralee
to Dunquin.
The western end of the Peninsula has magnificent coastal scenery and is
an Irish-speaking district.
Tour buses approach the Ring of Kerry in an anti-clockwise direction,
as some sections along the route are too narrow to take two buses in opposing
directions.
Most visitors use Killarney as their starting point however it is possible
to use any of the towns and villages along the route as a starting point
as it is a circular route.
Another Irish destination getting the five-star treatment is Ashford Castle
in Co. Mayo.
It is chosen as one of the Top-10 legendary castles in the world.
The 13th century castle was also lauded recently by Trip Advisor which
described it as “Versailles but better” and having “opulent
rooms, endless hallways and numerous dining options.”
The Forbes site also composed a list of the Top-10 literary pubs and again
Ireland came up trumps.
Davy Byrne’s pub in Dublin, whose patrons have included James Joyce
and Samuel Beckett, was featured and was described as the perfect venue
for literary aficionados.
The 100-year-old pub has been described as Ireland’s first gastropub
and the Forbes Traveler calls it one of the best places to eat in Dublin. |
