'Ireland's Hidden Heartlands' is 'gamechanger' for Offaly Tourism

IRELAND'S HIDDEN HEARTLANDS (IHH) is a gamechanger for tourism in Offaly, a recent meeting was told.

Offaly is no longer in Ireland's Ancient East but was transferred a couple of months ago, a move which has been widely welcomed.

In February Fáilte Ireland announced the expansion of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands to include all of counties Cavan, Westmeath, Offaly and an additional part of Tipperary, parts of which were previously covered by the Ireland’s Ancient East regional tourism brand.

Offaly Tourism Officer Olive Farrelly told the May meeting of Offaly County Council that she and the other members of Offaly Tourism have built up “a really strong rapport” with IHH. “We are very positive about being in this tourism brand. We think it will be a really good thing for the county.”

She said a lot of work is going into marketing the county in this post-Covid period. A lot of work has also been going into a new Offaly Tourism website which should be ready by the end of June.

Cllr Tony McCormack said it's “unbelievable what we have on our doorstep. We should be very proud of it. We have many gems in our crown including the Slieve Bloom bike trails, Tullamore Dew and Birr Castle.”

Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick said a lot of the tourism focus is on Tullamore and South Offaly. He asked for more attention to be given to Edenderry, Daingean and the east of the county.

Cllr John Clendennen said Offaly would be a fantastic centre for national events of importance. He advocated embracing TikTok as a platform for tourism promotion.

Cllr Eamon Dooley said the industrial heritage of Bord na Móna should also be focussed on.

Cllr John Leahy said tourism in Offaly “has come on a million miles since I was first elected in 2009.”