New Tourism Ireland video highlights Wild Atlantic Way
Tourism Ireland has created a new online film to highlight the Wild Atlantic Way – and to remind people everywhere how the Wild Atlantic Way has brought the world closer together.
Entitled "Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way – Connecting the world for over 100 years", the video shows that, throughout history, locations along the Wild Atlantic Way have led the way in connecting the world.
In 1919, Sir John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten-Brown flew from Newfoundland in Canada, in a two-man Vickers Vimy biplane and performed a crash landing at Derrigimlagh Bog in Connemara. In the same year, the world was brought closer again, when Guglielmo Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio-telegraph from Ballybunion to Nova Scotia, also in Canada.
In 1866, Lord Kelvin Thomson sent the first transatlantic cable message from Valentia Island to Newfoundland, reducing the time it took to send a message across the ocean from weeks to just minutes. In 1947, Dr Brendan O’Regan opened the world’s first Duty Free shop in Shannon Airport, inspiring hundreds of Free Zones around the world and encouraging visitors through these locations.
This year, Ireland celebrates two 100-year anniversaries: the first transatlantic radio-telegraph and the first non-stop transatlantic flight, which will be honoured with a full re-enactment of the landing at the Alcock and Brown 100 Festival.
One hundred years on, people can pick up a phone and chat to friends and relatives all around the world, or hop on a plane and cross the Atlantic in hours – and it all started on the Wild Atlantic Way. Tourism Ireland’s latest video was created to remind people everywhere that the Wild Atlantic Way is a great choice for a holiday or short break. To view the film, click here.
Tourism Ireland is the organisation responsible for promoting the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination. Tourism is the island of Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, responsible for in excess of 4% of GNP in the Republic of Ireland and employing around 325,000 people across the island. In 2018, the island of Ireland welcomed around 11.2 million overseas visitors, delivering revenue of approximately €6.1 billion.
The film is being promoted through Tourism Ireland’s social platforms, including Facebook (more than 4.37 million fans worldwide), Twitter (almost 520,000 followers) and YouTube.
If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made tour along the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, please do contact our friendly team today.
