CLOGHANE GETS ON WILD ATLANTIC WAY
ANNOUNCEMENT EXPECTED IN THE COMING DAYS
CLOCHÁN BRÉANNAINN is expected to be included on the Wild Atlantic Way this week
The Kerryman has learned. At the time of going to press, sitting Mayor of Kerry Cllr Seamus Cosaí Fitzgerald told The Kerryman that he expects the announcement to be made in the coming days.
Locals were up in arms when the West Kerry region was initially omitted from the Wild Atlantic Way route which stretches all the way from Donegal to West Cork and a local campaign to have the area included garnered support from many quarters.
“I expect the announcement that Clochán – Bréanainn is to be included on the Wild Atlantic Way to be made in the coming days,” said Cllr Cosaí Fitzgerald.
“This will prove crucial for the area in attracting tourism and will certainly contribute to the area’s local economy.”
Cllr Cosaí Fitzgerald was speaking having just returned from an official visit to the United States. The Kerry County Council delegation, which included Mícheál Dowd, a local representative from Cloghane, was seeking to promote different parts of Kerry which are less well known than the county’s tourism hubs.
“We’re waiting for the official statement from Fáilte Ireland but we believe Clochán/Bréanainn’s inclusion will be announced later this week,” said Mr O’Dowd - who operates a guesthouse and public house in Cloghane. He was among the most vocal to protest the exclusion of the area from the initial Wild Atlantic Way route,pointing towards the beauty of the area and the economic impact of being excluded.
“Without being on the Wild Atlantic Way we would be forgotten and likely become a prime example of a futuristic famine village. This means everything to us. Our community now has a future and we can look forward with a degree of confidence to the future in the first steps towards improving our community,” Mr O’Dowd said.
Mayor Fitzgerald said the US trip had been very promising:
“The trip was very successful, we met with a number of tour operators and tourism promoters to highlight areas such as Cloghane – Brandon, Valentia, and parts of North Kerry and South Kerry which may, at this point, be lesser known abroad than the Dingles and Killarneys.
“The feeling is that tourists may be missing out by not visiting these areas when they holiday in Ireland and this trip was very successful in putting the word out there about what Kerry has to offer as a whole.”
Discussions also took place regarding the move to have Valentia Island designated as a UNESCO site as it is where the trans-Atlantic cable connected Europe with the American continent, via Newfoundland.
“Running the trans-Atlantic cable ran from Valentia to Newfoundland in 1866 was a major development in telecommunications; at the time it was almost as significant as putting a man on the moon as it connected two continents,” said the Mayor.
“Discussions with regards the possibility of UNESCO designation for Valentia Island are in their infancy but have been well received across the water,” he added.