Irish Tourist Season

Bust those January Blues with a super saving weekend deal at ....

The January sales are here for hotels all over the world. And while many will spend the month slowly watching the very few pennies left in the bank, others will take the opportunity to go on a short cheap break.

What a brilliant opportunity to visit somewhere new in Ireland, tick something off the to see list and all for a nice tidy price, I thought.

But the Irish Tourist Season is not open for business. The doors are closed until March.*

You know because of earthquake season...

And it is still sort of cold I guess, there are definitely clouds in the sky and no one owns a coat here.**

It does rain a lot in Ireland ... Downpatrick Head, Co Mayo
(c) fifiheavey

I found a great deal for a hotel in Cashel, Co Tipperary. The hotel looked lovely and I jumped at the opportunity to visit the Rock of Cashel which received huge publicity during the Queen's visit last May. But the doors are closed.

Clonmacnoise, Co Offaly would be nice to see, the ancient monastery, the graves, the high towers. Closed to tourists until March though.

Skellig Michael, Co Kerry

World Heritage Site Skellig Michael, co Kerry looks intriguing, spectacular – but the experience center is closed yep... until Tourist season opens.

UNESCO Geopark in Cavan and Fermanagh which includes the Marble Arch Caves a window into 650 million years ago could be a nice detour... but this is not the time of year for fun.

Yes many other attractions around the country are open, but why not all? Can we not be open for tourists all year around? Is it the rain – because I think anyone who doesn't live in a dungeon knows it rains here.

We all don't get our two weeks holidays in August, people travel all year around. Do we need to rely our entire tourism industry on just the three Summer months?

Tourist Season March to October should maximize our tourist attractions, but certainly not eliminate them for the rest of the year.

Our slogan should not be:

Cead Mile Faile go hEireann (March – October only)

* True

** Not quite true