You may drive the Wild Atlantic Way differently after the introduction of this new initiative
If you’ve yet to travel the 1600 miles along the Wild Atlantic Way, we’d recommend holding off until the mid-term break as locals of the coastal route will be sharing the hidden gems over the next few days.
Secret locations that most tourists have driven right by.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin today announced ‘Call of the Wild’, a joint initiative between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.
The new initiative aims to give local people on the Wild Atlantic Way the opportunity to have their hidden gems included in a global social media campaign.
Over the coming weeks, locals from along the Wild Atlantic Way will be called on to share photos and videos that showcase the beauty of the West Coast on social media using the hashtag #MyWildAtlanticWay.
So far the tag has featured Kerry locations such as Inch Beach, Brandon Point, Annascual, Baile an Chaisil in County Mayo and Carrowkeel in County Silgo.
Look forward to sharing Pics info & more regarding #Carrowkeel with the world.Dont forget to tag us share us tweet us @Carrowkeel1 #Carrowkeel. Cèad Mile Fàilte a cara .#mywildatlanticway #mysligo @Failte_Ireland @TourismIreland @sligohub @BestOfSligo @Irelandwest @CavesofKeash pic.twitter.com/EgswgKsBOy
— Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex (@Carrowkeel1) October 16, 2018
To launch the initiative, Fáilte Ireland have teamed up with eight sporting legends from along the Wild Atlantic Way, from Aidan O’Mahony in Kerry, Orla Finn in Cork, Podge Collins in Clare, Michael Murphy in Donegal, Róisin Upton in Limerick, Lee Keegan in Mayo, Alan Cawley in Sligo and David Collins in Galway.
Each ‘Call of the Wild’ ambassador will share some of their favourite destinations in the region across their social media accounts, encouraging their followers to follow suit and share their own favourites.
Speaking at the launch, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Marketing, Niall Tracey, said:
“Stretching 2,500km, the Wild Atlantic Way is the longest defined coastal touring route in the world and was designed to attract visitors to explore the length of the west coast of Ireland and experience the beauty of our rugged coastline.
Collaboration with local communities has been key to the success of the Wild Atlantic Way and our new ‘Call of the Wild’ campaign asks local people to tell us about the hidden gems in their counties, whether it be a secluded beach, unknown coastal walkway or the perfect café, so that we can share it with the world
