Less than one month after Clare lifted the Liam MacCarthy cup at Croke Park, the Banner will once again be raised high this week when the county is placed on centre stage at the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture.
A Clare County Council-led tourism delegation is travelling to Wisconsin for the Milwaukee Irish Fest (15-18th August) to target US holidaymakers who are planning overseas holidays for 2025.
‘Fly Shannon’ will be the focus of the promotion, with four scheduled services between Shannon Airport and JFK, Newark, Boston Logan and Chicago O’Hare airports.
Cllr Alan O’Callaghan, the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council is leading the delegation. He said, “The clear message we will be sending out to more than 120,000 festival goers over the next four days will be that direct services into Shannon Airport and the West of Ireland are available.”
“Clare has maintained a presence at this event for more than two decades which has undoubtedly helped to steer tourists toward using Shannon’s transatlantic services,” he added. “In an increasingly competitive international tourism market, it is critically important that we continue to fly the flag for our international airport by showcasing it and the county to overseas audiences.”
Seán Lally, Chair of the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum commented, “This tourism promotion is particularly timely as American tourists begin planning their foreign holidays for 2025. The domestic market has been a key focus of our tourism marketing efforts during the first half of 2024 but as we head into the autumn, our focus must shift to the key US market where people are now beginning to plan where they are going to holiday abroad next year. We need to get out there and convince people to ‘Fly Shannon’.”
“Shannon Airport recorded 8% passenger growth during the first six months of this year, which is a great success by the efforts of the Shannon Airport Group, which yields benefits to local businesses, the tourism sector and local government across the region and encourages all to proactively market the services available,” explained John O’Malley, Acting Director of Service for Tourism Development, Clare County Council.
He continued, “Everyone interested in Clare tourism has a role to play in growing these figures and our cross-sector delegation looks forward to showcasing Shannon and County Clare, including our rich heritage and culture, to prospective American visitors over the next few days.”
Covering 74 acres of Lake Michigan’s shoreline at Henry Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee Irish Fest showcases Irish music, history, dance, sports and culture. This year, Maurice Walsh of Durty Nelly’s will be providing Irish coffee-making demonstrations throughout the event, which also will be attended by tourism agencies such as Tourism Ireland and Aer Lingus.
Included in this year’s music line-up is a string of well-known Irish artists including: Lúnasa; Ceol Cairde; The High Kings; Finbar MacCarthy; and The Tumbling Paddies.
