TUBS HAS WHALE OF A TIME IN KERRY
RYAN Tubridy stopped off in Portmagee on Friday last as part of his tour of The Wild Atlantic Way where he visited a selection of towns and businesses in The Kingdom. The Moorings in Portmagee, which is the starting point for many trips to the spectacular, otherworldly island of Skellig Michael, hosted Tubridy’s popular radio show on Friday morning.
The force is definitely with The Moorings as it is widely known for its affiliations with StarWars, after many of the Star Wars cast and crew frequented the guesthouse and restaurant during filming on Skellig Michael, including Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who learned how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness.
Ger Kennedy, owner of The Moorings, spoke to The Kerryman about Ryan’s visit as well as the fantastic boost to the area given by the recent Star Wars movies. “Ryan was great, he created a fantastic atmosphere. There was a bigger crowd that I could have expected really, with all the locals and the children from the local primary school coming in to see the show. The morning wasn’t the best weather wise, it was too rough, but it really turned around as the day went on and we took Ryan out on the boat.” Speaking about the boost given to the area by Skellig Michael’s involvement in Star Wars, Mr Kennedy said “It was bigger than I could ever have expected, it has increased business immensely. We have tourists coming in from not only America, but Germany and France and all over.”
Tubridy’s visit to Portmagee follows on from his stop in Ballybunion, where the Ryan Tubridy Show was broadcast live on Wednesday morning from The Coast Café.
Josephine O’Driscoll of Fáilte Ireland explained why Ryan’s visit to the area is so important. “This is the fourth consecutive year in a row that Ryan has chosen to experience and broadcast from the Wild Atlantic Way. He can really get across to his listeners what the Wild Atlantic Way is all about and how it captures people’s imagination.”
And one of the reason’s Ryan chose to stop in Ballybunion, in particular, was to revisit the innovative Barry Liston of Grasshopper Skateboards, based in Ballybunion. Barry featured on the Late Late Show’s Enterprise and Innovation showcase in 2015 for his unique design approach to sustainability in skateboard manufacture. According to the Grasshopper Skateboards official website, which launched in May 2017, Grasshopper Skateboards specialises in the manufacturer and customisation of high performance, eco-friendly skateboardsmade from sustainably sourced bamboo, hemp, and maple.
The reason that Barry is so passionate about sustainable manufacturing is that he says 95 per cent of skateboards are constructed using maple and that skateboard manufacturing is the number one global cause of maple deforestation.
It’s no wonder Ryan Tubridy is a fan, as on Wednesday last he was presented with his own skateboard that he used to gleefully traverse the streets of Ballybunion, taking in the sights and sounds of the picturesque coastal town.
Mr Tubridy had joined forces with Fáilte Ireland, as part of its ‘Embrace the Wild AtlanticWay of Life’ summer marketing campaign with Ryan broadcasting his show from a selection of seaside towns.