This article is from page 23 of the 2012-02-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 23 JPG
KILRUSH’S Tourism and Marketing Officer Siobhan Garvey will promote the maritime town as ‘Kilrush on the Shannon’ at every opportunity.
She made the commitment following a suggestion from the father of the council Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) to re-brand the town incorporating its maritime history.
“I would be fully supportive of including ‘Kilrush on the Shannon’ at any available opportunity and incorporating this phase into future promotions in conjunction with the use of the image of the Shannon Dolphin and Scattery Round Tower,” she said.
According to Cllr Prendeville, “The origins and development of Kilrush can be traced back to a time, particularly in the 19th century, when it was the hub of commercial maritime traffic on the Shannon Estuary. In those halcyon days, paddle steamers plied between Kilrush and Limerick bringing passengers and produce to and from the Treaty City.”
“In recent years, the Kilrush Creek Marina has renewed Kilrush’s links with its proud maritime tradition through the development of top-class marine leisure facilities and services. The Kilrush Marina has opened up the magnificent natural resource of cruising waters right up to the ports of Limerick and Foynes.
“The commissioning of the ESB electricity generating station at Moneypoint also offers exciting opportunities for developing the deepwater jetty there and that will surely form the central plank of the Shannon Foynes Port Authority’s Strategic Plan for up to 2012,” he said.
He added that the rebranding of Kilrush as a tourism product should seek to maximise the vast potential of Ireland’s most magnificent waterway.
“It is a linkage between the historic sixth century monastic settlement of Inis Cathaigh and the necklace of ports and creeks along the estuary. The Shannon Dolphin tourism product has captured the public’s imagination and for those who dare broader horizons, Kilrush is the gateway to cruising on the western seaboard while unrivalled access to rich fishing grounds make the open Atlantic a centre for angling connoisseurs,” said Cllr Prendeville.
Ms Garvey said that there are already some tourism links between tourism in Kilrush and the Shannon.
“It has been useful that the Dolphin and Whale Centre at Merchant’s Quay is known as the ‘Shannon Dolphin and Whale Centre’ in all promotional literature and the only operator in Kilrush offering Dolphin Watching trips brands his business and vessel as the ‘Shannon Dolphin Discovery’, which also helps to reinforce the fact that Kilrush is very much part of the River Shannon and shows that there is as collaborative approach to branding Kilrush in this way,” she said.