| The land of Vikings, vistas and plenty of craic
 Journalist
and Irish Post Post travel writer Malcolm Rogers has landed the coveted
role of writing Tourism Ireland’s brochure for 2006. Now you can read
the article that won the commission and hear how it all came about.
Our travel editor Malcolm Rogers has written the main Tourism Ireland
market book for 2006. The brochure, which will be distributed throughout
Britain and other parts of Europe, as well as America, Canada, Australia and
New Zealand, looks at every area of Ireland and encourages visitors to
“discover their own Ireland”.
Malcolm was chosen to do the job out of several of Ireland’s top journalists
and travel writers. He explains how the appointment came about:
“I was contacted by Tourism Ireland — the publications department is based
in Coleraine — after having been nominated by the Tourism Ireland office in
London. So a big thanks to Mary O’Shea and John Lahiffe!
“All the journalists and travel writers who were nominated or short-listed
were asked to submit an article of 1000 words entitled ‘Why Ireland’”.
“I got to work on the project, just decided to keep my own style, and wrote
about Ireland as I saw it.
“I think the Tourism Ireland people were looking for a slightly different
approach to marketing Ireland and they decided my style suited the project,
God bless ’em.”
The project is nearly finished, and has taken Malcolm to every corner of the
island, as well as to regular meetings with the project team Sinead Murray,
Patrick Lennon and Colette Connolly.
“It was really interesting to see how Ireland is branded and promoted. So
often you see adverts and think, well I could have done better than that.
And here we were, the four of us, faced with the task of deciding how to
market an entire country — in effect what to the tell the millions of people
who would be coming to Ireland what to expect. “
Re-branding Marketing any country is no easy task, however, and one with as
complicated a history and social makeup is no easy task — the new market
book includes the North of Ireland as well as the Republic. So it isn’t like
selling lager or denims. “It is a difficult concept to get to grips with.
There are some traditional Irish values which everyone takes as an act of
faith, and which are true — Irish people are friendly, they tend to be
courteous to strangers, they are sociable — in other words it’s not
paddywhackerary to point out that Irish people enjoy the craic.
“But it’s also true that Ireland today is a modern European country, it is
far more multi-cultural than it used to be. It has all the problems of a
successful economy, as well as all the befits. All these things have to be
taken into account.”
Malcolm, who also writes extensively for the inflight Aer Lingus magazine
Cara, will, of course, continue writing for the Irish Post while the project
is ongoing.
The article which won Malcolm the contract for writing the Tourism Ireland
brochure:
Why Ireland
Perched at the very edge of Europe, Ireland is a land apart. Almost
impossibly romantic, it is criss-crossed with fuchsia-filled hedges, ringed
by towering sea cliffs, dotted with prehistoric dolmens, and divided by
ancient mountain ranges. On a clear day from the top of the Magillycuddy
Reeks you’ll be able to see right across Ireland, or watch the Atlantic
Ocean perform its riotous party piece along dramatic coastlines.
Of course, with the Atlantic so nearby, clear days can’t be guaranteed. But
then Ireland doesn’t have the greenest scenery in the world by accident.
Should your holiday coincide with a few ‘fine soft days’, don’t fret — you
can always join the inn crowd. Ireland boasts some of the finest pubs in the
world where you might just experience the odd late night, joining in
conversations that sparkle and leap like electricity. Songs will be sung,
and the cares of the day will melt away and seem as insubstantial as a
Galway sea mist.
And the great thing is you’ll be able to do it in a smoke-free zone! You can
enjoy home-spun philosophy in Dublin, story-telling in Armagh, or
traditional music on the Aran Islands, all without your lungs wheezing like
an old melodeon.
 Have a fling at the fleadh
Music fills the Irish air, from rock to baroque, and from contemporary to
Celtic. There are more traditional sessions, fleadhs, festivals and summer
schools up and down the country than you could shake a bodhrán stick at.
Small wonder Ireland is the only country in the world to have a musical
instrument, the harp, as its official symbol.
Festivals in Ireland aren’t just about music — they range from opera to
oysters, not forgetting matchmaking (in the significant-other sense) and the
biggest Halloween festivals in the world. Halloween was of course an Irish
invention, and at this spooky time of the year the mixture of ghouls and
Gaels is irresistible — and great fun!
Have we got views
for you
An intoxicating combination of breathtaking landscape, colour, light and
moving water has brought the likes of the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry
and the Giant’s Causeway to the attention of the world. But there is plenty
to see in ‘undiscovered Ireland’ — in the tightly-hedged drumlin fields of
Ulster, or in the quiet pastoral lands of Offaly or Tipperary.
The great megalithic graves of Newgrange and Knowth in Co Meath are amongst
the oldest buildings anywhere in the world, while in Co. Tyrone, over forty
prehistoric monuments date back some 6000 years — give or take six months or
so. The people who built these intricate structures would have regarded the
pyramids (about 4000 years old) as new-fangled foreign inventions.
The archaeological record left by these ancient architects testifies to
their superb eye for beautiful, dramatic locations — and also their subtle
aptitude for engineering, incorporating art, science and spirituality. If
you want your awe inspired, this is as good a place to start as any.
Magical history tour
When the Christians arrived in Ireland they went about re-shaping the
country with gusto. Every county boasts monastic ruins — the golden age of
early Christian Ireland is still in the very soul of places like St Kevin’s
monastery at Glendalough or by the River Shannon at Clonmacnois.
At Kells, a round tower — for protection against the Vikings — still
remains, part of the original monastery where the famous Book of Kells was
created more than a thousand years ago.
The Vikings made a nuisance of themselves; the arrival of the Normans
transformed the Irish landscape. You can’t go far today without seeing a
castle — from the operatic grandeur of the Rock of Cashel with its fairytale
turrets and crenellations, to romantic ruins such as the keep of Kildownet
Castle, once the Achill Island redoubt of the pirate queen Grace O’Malley.
Birr Castle is a wonderful example of hidden Hibernia, with its gardens and
scientific curios. And as an object lesson in Irish history it could
scarcely be bettered. Celts, Anglo-Normans, Cromwellians, Confederate
Catholics, Jacobites, Williamites etc have all squabbled over ownership
rights. Rubbing along with your neighbours has always been something of an
iffy concept hereabouts.
 Fairway to heaven
They say an Irishman’s dream is to land a fish which tells him the winner of
the 3.30 at the Killarney Races. Sport, you see, is the backbone of Irish
society — horse-racing, fishing, hill walking or Gaelic sports are all part
of the community; but you’re more than welcome to join in.
If golf is your game, some of the world’s finest courses beckon — it really
is la crème de la greens. The likes of the Royal County Down or Ballybunion
in Kerry were designed by God, it is said, to get his handicap down.
The cognoscenti have always known about Ireland’s angling. Huge swathes of
water, good clean banks, and a wealth of fish will keep your lines tight —
from the banks of the Royal Canal in Dublin to the wide waters of the
Shannon. Even if you’ve never fished before, you’ll be hooked.
City lights and sights
Ireland’s cities have a long, venerable history. Waterford is an older
Viking town than Stockholm, whilst Dublin’s literary tradition haunts just
about every one of its nicotine-stained pubs. The ghosts of Joyce, Shaw,
Wilde and O’Casey lurk round every corner.
All tastes are catered for — traditional music pubs with sessions going full
throttle every night of the week, old fashioned theme pubs (where the only
theme is drinking and conversation), or up-market café-bars where the hip
Hibernians and cool Celts gather. And as for the food — well, the tuck of
the Irish is now lauded worldwide with everything from boxty to Balti on
offer. The club culture in Ireland is now in full flow — everywhere from
Kilkenny to Belfast boasts levels of craic probably well in excess of EU
recommendations!
Ireland can be an ethereal place, a gentle place. It remains an oasis of
charm and tireless beauty in an increasingly busy world. You can ramble in
unspoiled countryside, meditate amongst ancient monasteries, or partake in
the pagan abandon that are Ireland’s festivals. Today the country is also
famous for clubbing, dining and shopping. And even if you don’t buy any
souvenirs on your visit, your memories will ensure that you still take home
treasures.
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