This festival will be a 2 day event and will centre around sections of the East Clare Way, which is a National Waymarked Walking Route. All walks will be guided and will take in some of the great natural wild beauty of East Clare. There will be walks near Slieve Aughty and Slieve Bearnagh including the magnificent scenery of Lough Derg and Lough Graney.

All walks will be graded and there will be something suitable for walkers of all abilities and ages.

So, put the dates…21st – 23rd October 2011… in your diary and come along and visit East Clare.

Check out: www.eastclarewalkingfestival.com

Most of the Bed and Breakfast owners in the Cantata2 programme have opted to pursue the Green Hospitality Eco-label – a certification label which includes verification on-site to ensure that participants are implementing the standards and criteria set. There is a strong customer information focus attached to ensure that visitors can experience the benefits of the reduction in the environmental footprint of the business.

The Eco-label is the first step for businesses starting on the road towards Best Practice and is a voluntary programme where the business adopts a set of specific criteria relating to the implementation of an environmental management system within their business plus a number of optional actions relevant to their sector.

A final Workshop for participants will take place in Limerick in mid October 2011 to provide further support to enable all participants to apply for certification before the end of the year.

In summary, the Green Hospitality Eco-label helps them save money, be legally compliant and attract new business.

Sales and temperatures soared, world records were broken and Blenheim was buzzing as a near record crowd of 148,500 people flocked into The CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, over the course of the weekend, Saturday drawing the biggest crowds.

The figure is the second highest attendance at The Game Fair in its 53-year history – beaten only by the 50th anniversary Game Fair also held at Blenheim in 2008.

A key factor was the new traffic management system which saw problem-free access to car parks on the 700 acre show site for all three days.

With temperatures hovering in the mid 20’s, exhibitors reported bumper sales. Some feedback indicated that the entrance fee at 29 pounds (UK) may have been a bit too expensive in these recessionary time, as the average entrance fee at fairs in the UK is 15 pounds.

Teresa Browne of the East Clare Network and Pierce Duggan of Holycross/Thurles and Templemore Network represented Cantata2 at the Fair, accompanied by Marian Leydon, Head of Marketing (UK) at Shannon Development. They found it to be a great networking experience and ensured the Cantata2 brochures were well circulated.

The 2012 Game Fair is planned for Ragley Hall, Alcester, Warwickshire (i.e. same venue as 2010). Further details at www.gamefair.co.uk

Commenting on the new brochure, Bernie Leonard, Shannon Development Tourism Officer for North Tipperary said: “Shannon Development is delighted to be involved in this new tourism initiative which will help add to the attractiveness of the Thurles/Holycross/Templemore area as a holiday destination. The brochure highlights details of participating B&Bs and local attractions, with a strong emphasis on value for money holiday packages.”

Ms. Leonard added: “The aim of the CANTATA 2 project is to help B&B’s in counties Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary to develop a unique product offering that will assist them in competing more effectively for tourism business. A total of 15 independent B&B operators, five from each county, are involved in the project with Shannon Development and Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary County Councils. Four other countries Spain, France, Portugal, and Wales are also participating in the project. The project will hopefully lead to international networking opportunities for the B&B sector in the Region.”

Three networks of independent B&B operators in Thurles/Holycross/Templemore North Tipperary; East Clare and the Estuary Area Limerick have been established as part of the CANTATA 2 project. Each network operates independently coming together for joint promotion and special seminars. As well as the new tourism brochure for Co. Tipperary, Shannon Development has been working with B&B operators to devise a new website for all three locations which can be viewed at http://www.cantata2.ie. The new tourism brochure for Thurles/Holycross/Templemore is available free of charge from Shannon Development Tourist Offices throughout the Shannon Region, or can be downloaded from the website http://www.cantata2.ie/.

B&B operators in Co Tipperary pictured with Bernie Leonard, Shannon Development Tourism Officer for North Tipperary demonstrating a taste of Irish hospitality at the launch of the new B&B Brochure in Inch House (l-r): Valerie Beamish, Saratoga Lodge; Maureen Byrne, Inch House; Bernie Leonard, Shannon Development; Pierce Duggan, the Castle Country House, Two-Mile-Borris; Anna Stakelum, Boherna Lodge and Attracta Lyons, North Tipperary County Council. Missing from the photograph is Mark Molloy, Crossogue Equestrian Centre.

Commenting on the new brochure, Siobhan King, Shannon Development Tourism Officer for County Clare said: “Shannon Development is delighted to be involved in this new tourism initiative which will help add to the attractiveness of the East Clare area as a holiday destination. The brochure is a guide to accommodation, activities and attractions in beautiful East Clare, home of Ireland’s largest pleasure lake, Lough Derg. Each item on the brochure is numbered to allow the visitor find it’s location on the fold out map, making it extremely user friendly. This complements the special offers flyer that the group has produced which highlights details of participating B&Bs, with a strong emphasis on value for money holiday packages.”

Ms. King added: “The aim of the CANTATA 2 project is to help B&B’s in counties Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary to develop a unique product offering that will assist them in competing more effectively for tourism business. A total of 15 independent B&B operators, five from each county, are involved in the project with Shannon Development and Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary County Councils. Four other countries Spain, France, Portugal, and Wales are also participating in the project. The project will hopefully lead to international networking opportunities for the B&B sector in the Shannon Region.”

Three networks of independent B&B operators in East Clare; Thurles/Holycross/Templemore North Tipperary; and the Estuary Area Limerick have been established as part of the CANTATA 2 project. Each network operates independently coming together for joint promotion and special seminars. As well as the new tourism brochure for East Clare, Shannon Development has been working with B&B operators to devise a new website for all three locations which can be viewed at http://www.cantata2.ie/. The new tourism brochure for East Clare is available free of charge from Shannon Development Tourist Offices throughout the Shannon Region, or can be downloaded from the website http://www.cantata2.ie/.

B&B operators in East Clare pictured with Siobhan King, Shannon Development Tourism Officer for County Clare demonstrating a taste of Irish hospitality at the launch of the new B&B Brochure at Clareville House, Tuamgraney, Co. Clare (l-r) Ursula Hogan, Hawthorns B&B, Mountshannon; Siobhan King, Shannon Development; Patricia Halpin, Hillview B&B, Tulla; Teresa Browne, Clareville House, Tuamgraney; Catherine O’Hara, Clare County Council; and Dorothy Landers, Clondanagh Cottage B&B, Tulla.

A dhaoine uaisle;

Tá an turasóireacht thar tír isteach ar cheann de na hearnálacha is tábhachtaí do gheilleagar cheantar na Sionainne. Tá sé ríthábhachtach an sócmhainn seo a chothú. Toisc sin, tá lúcháir orm a bheith i Scairibh inniu chun dhá tionscnamh tábhachtach a sheoladh – is iad sin – suíomh gréasáin nua faoin gclár CANTATA a dó agus Cárta Lascaine Cheantar na Sionainne.

Comhghairdeachas le gach duine a bhfuil páirt acu iontu araon.

Tourism is hugely important to the economy of the Shannon Region and it is important that we do everything we can to nurture this valuable asset – especially in these difficult times. I am delighted to be in Scarriff today to launch a new website promoting East Clare, the Estuary area of West Limerick, and the Thurles and Holycross areas of North Tipperary and to publicise the new Shannon Region Discount Card.

CANTATA 2 Website.
The new website arises from CANTATA 2, a three year EU programme, which is helping the B&B sector develop innovative approaches to the regeneration of its business niche. Since the project began, participants have been working on different ways to promote and differentiate their product in an environmentally friendly way, as part of the Atlantic Area. They have also engaged with community and tourism operators in their local areas to maximise the return to the entire community. The overriding aim is an improved visitor experience.

The project is being managed in Ireland by Shannon Development. In all, three networks of five independent B&Bs are involved in the Counties concerned, five of them here in East Clare.

The new website can be viewed at www.cantata2.ie and highlights details of the participating B&B’s, local attractions, festival and events, with a strong emphasis on value for money holiday packages. These special offers will be added to the website regularly. As people familiar with this area will know, there’s no shortage of things to do in this beautiful part of Clare – whether it’s coarse and game fishing, boating, golf, walking and sightseeing – and, of course, this is a great place for traditional music and the locals know how to organise a good festival. But many potential visitors won’t be aware of all the attractions hereabouts and that’s what this website is about.

The B&B is a much loved Irish institution, offering comfortable accomodation, home cooked breakfasts to set you up for the day and, most importantly, the personal touch and local knowledge about the best a particular area has to offer. B&Bs make a very significant contribution to the local economy so it’s good to see new initiatives like this, aimed at strengthening the sector. And while CANTATA 2 is a pilot project, there are lessons to be learned which could provide a template for use in other areas around Ireland.

The CANTATA Programme complements Government support for small industry in rural locations. The Mid Shannon Tourism Investment Scheme is an example of Government commitment to help get new tourism projects off the ground. In last April’s budget, we extended the deadline for the Scheme, so budding entrepreneurs and investors now have until May, 2012 to submit their applications. We already have a new Eco Hostel and Education Centre under construction in Cloughjordan Co. Tipperary, as a direct result of the Scheme.

Under the guidance of Shannon Development, the CANTATA Project started at the grass roots level as an inter-community initiative and then branched out to be an inter-county project. It now has an international dimension, with all five participating countries sharing knowledge and exploring tourism promotional opportunities. This is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through partnership and networking in dealing with shared challenges.

I would like to congratulate Shannon Development and all of the members of the CANTATA grouping, the B&B operators and Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary County Council for their efforts. I know that this is a difficult time for the tourism industry and I hope that your experience of the Programme, which runs until 2012, will prove beneficial to your business.

Shannon Region Discount Card.
As I indicated at the outset, this event is about two tourism related initiatives. I am also delighted today to launch the Shannon Region Discount Card, which gives visitors a 25% discount on a range of visitor attractions and activities around the Region – all year round, with no dates blocked off.

This is the first time that a card of this type has been developed. It is aimed at stimulating new tourism business, particularly from overseas markets including North America and responds to research carried out by Shannon Development in the US, showing that Ireland was perceived as an expensive destination.

I would like to commend Shannon Development on bringing all of the key tourism players together for this initiative. There is a mouth watering array of activities on offer – golfing, skydiving, horse riding, surfing, rib boating, cruising and horse racing. Top visitor attractions in the Region are also featured, including Brian Boru Heritage Centre in Killaloe, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Aillwee Caves and the Atlantic Edge visitor attraction at the Cliffs of Moher in Clare. In Limerick, there is King John’s Castle and Thomond Park Museum. In Offaly, there is Birr Castle Demesne and Birr Equestrian Centre. And in Tipperary, you have Farney Castle, and Skydiving. The full list of participating attractions and activities can be downloaded from Shannon Development’s tourism website www.shannonregiontourism.com

Already, over 50,000 discount cards have been distributed to potential visitors in key overseas tourism markets by Shannon Development’s tourism team and this initiative has great potential to help put Ireland and the Shannon Region at the top of US and other tourists’ “must visit” lists.

Congratulations to everybody involved in these exciting new initiatives. They show, beyond any doubt, that the Irish tourism industry is responding proactively to current difficulties and doing everything it can to market what is at the end of the day a world class product – friendly people, breathtaking landscape, a proud heritage, a huge range of activities for all ages, a great tourism infrastructure and a céad míle fáilte.

Thank you.

The show covers Angling, Shooting, Land Management, Retail, Gardens and Food sectors. CANTATA will promote Angling holidays in the three network areas.