Yvonne Reddin travels around the country’s small towns and finds local business owners working hard to attract visitors, where the true charm of Ireland can be found. But they need help.
Irish tourism has been alive and well but with the summer months over for 2024, the hospitality and local industry has felt a downward turn in business this year. Inflation increases on a range of accommodations, poor weather, and also the lack of investment in the smaller towns, have been some of the factors in the sliding influx of tourists to Ireland this year.
The Airbnb industry here in Ireland is prevalent for visitors and we have seen a rise of unique properties become available as this side of tourism continues to expand. My choice of accommodation on my road trips includes a mix of hotels, Airbnb, B&Bs, and cabins. I love to discover the lesser-known towns, but why are they being overlooked?
On a recent trip to Kerry, I found a unique Airbnb property in the seaside town of Portmagee, right beside Valentia Island — John Joe’s Cottage. The price was great; it was authentic, cozy, and a great location to explore Kerry. The fishing village of Portmagee is surviving but there are conversations between the locals about the drop in tourists, mainly due to the roads. The popular Ring of Kerry road takes three-and-a-half hours to complete and is winding, sometimes reduced to one lane, and can be very close to cliff edges. Villages like this one rely on tourists to survive. As well as more investment needed for the infrastructure, the local bus service for the community is now booked online, with a limited bus service into the local town of Caherciveen. The constant inflation on food and alcohol in the hospitality industry has a knock-on effect for these smaller pubs and restaurants who are fighting to keep their prices down for their local patrons.
Ger Kennedy, owner of The Moorings Restauarant in Portmagee, says: “Most local places have seen a 30% decrease in tourism. There are so many hidden costs including increases in rates but the roads are a disaster to get here. We have been OK this summer, we have built our recurring clientele over the years which keeps us going.”
Valentia Island is an incredibly, beautiful island off the southwestern coast of Kerry and it’s landscapes are rugged and steeped in history. It’s accessible by bridge past Portmagee or by ferry. The island’s main village, Knightstown, is a charming spot with colourful houses and where family-run hotel, the Royal Valentia, is located, a popular choice for weddings.It is currently up for sale and one of the owners Vincent Kidd says: “The main area that would really help hotels in rural areas, is to reduce VAT back to 9%. We need to encourage people to visit the hotels in rural locations. We are lucky with our wedding bookings but there’s always room for improvement for tourist visits in the more rural areas like ours.”
My St Patrick’s Day weekend this year was spent exploring more of Donegal. I was unable to find a hotel in Malin town (the main one is no longer available for tourists and holiday makers) so I booked a local B&B. The owner, Mary Monagle, shared how her business has been slow even with the loss of the town’s main hotel. Mary says: “At the moment I have three men staying with me for a couple of months as they are working locally but other than that, it has been a struggle. Malin Hotel is closed to tourists now which means there is no reason or place for tourists passing through to stay. So Malin town is being bypassed, which doesn’t help my B&B either. We need to be encouraging visitors to stay here.”
Carrigart is another picturesque village in Co Donegal; it is charming and small, featuring traditional Irish cottages, a few local shops, cozy pubs, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Carrigart serves as a gateway to some of Donegal’s most breathtaking attractions but it has also seen a descent in passing tourism; they do exactly that — pass through. Shane Teskey is the owner of Davey John’s Forge in Carrigart. This unique property consists of an old Irish Cottage, two log cabins with their own private hot tubs directly across from Mulroy bay. Shane says: “Fortunately for us, Carrigart is beginning to flourish again. To help smaller towns like Carrigart thrive, I think it’s essential to keep them connected to wider networks, both digitally and physically. Investment in local infrastructure and digital marketing efforts could go a long way in making sure these hidden gems are more visible to tourists.
Encouraging collaboration between local councils, businesses, and the tourism board could further promote the incredible cultural and natural offerings of these towns, without compromising their unique character. The reopening of the Carrigart Hotel is a fantastic example of this, breathing new life into the heart of the town. Local businesses are beginning to thrive again and the community is rallying behind this momentum.”
This year, the Carrigart Hotel underwent a change in ownership, leading to a remarkable renovation that masterfully fused its historic charm with contemporary luxury. Hotel owner Martin Boyle says: “This is a small rural village and the loss of so many jobs had a big impact when the hotel closed. As the town has other tourism related businesses, the knock-on effect is huge. The new Carrigart Hotel is a massive boost for the area and we are delighted to be part of its renewal.”
Earlier this year, a lunch meeting in Youghal, Co Cork, with local business man Ger Flanagan of Boardwalk coffee was interesting. Youghal has a lot to offer visitors, particularly if you love walking by the sea. The Youghal Eco Boardwalk is a 1.9km coastal walking route created by Cork County Council and connects Youghal’s three beaches. Ger set up his roastery in Youghal, where he also has two cafes.
He said: “Youghal lost 2,000 manufacturing jobs around the turn of the century and none were ever replaced. We rely heavily on tourism and with the current refugee crisis we lost two of our three hotels. There is a serious lack of accommodation for tourism. We now rely heavily on day trippers and tourists passing through. It’s not all doom and gloom however as a local response by the Youghal Business Alliance has led to the re-opening of a number of shop premises.”
Saoirse Fitzgerald is the owner of ‘The Lighthouse Keeps Her’, a unique Airbnb renovated lighthouse near the beach in Youghal. It is the only lighthouse keepers house located in a town in Ireland — a 300-metre walk to the beach and a 10-minute walk to the heart of Youghal town. Saoirse was a finalist on RTÉ’s Home of the Year 2020 and bookings has kept her busy since. Saoirse said: “Youghal has had a bit of a bad rap since the factories left in the ’90s but there is a huge push in the last few years to turn things around — there is a very active local chamber and a local business alliance.”
Padraig Hennessy is the owner of Clancy’s restaurant in Youghal and says in the last 18 months they have had four ministers down to visit but still nothing has come out if it. “There is zero in industry support and we are being neglected as a tourist town. Other smaller businesses are missing out on tourist opportunities like hairdressers, cafes, beauticians, etc. The Greenway has been coming to the town for a long time now and still no advancement there.”
These are just a few of the smaller towns across Ireland that need more than ministerial visits — they need real investment and support. Local business owners are working hard to attract visitors to these lesser-known towns, where the true charm of Ireland can be found.