The Camino less travelled: Ireland’s pilgrim paths offer a massive tourism opportunity
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What historical significance do Ireland's pilgrim paths hold?
We're the land of saints and scholars. We've a historical footprint that stretches back centuries before the Great Pyramids. So why aren't we capitalising on our nationwide walking trails, pilgrim paths around Ireland, weave through stunning scenery and are ideal for the trend towards slow tourism and eco-trips. And we offer a cooler walking climate than our friends do in Santiago de Compostela. I'm joined on the line by Gráinne Monaghan, Chairperson of the St Declan's Way Steering Committee. and by John G. Dwyer, guidebook author and chairman of Pilgrim's Path Ireland, who think we should be making more of our historic trails.
How can Ireland capitalize on its walking trails for tourism?
Good morning to you both. John, I might start with you. You were writing about this in The Examiner the other day, and you think we are not marketing those trails the way we could.
Absolutely. I think there's a golden opportunity here. We have the trails in place. It's not like you're going to the minister and saying, we want to develop Irish tourism, now we want a 30 million visitor centre. The trails are already in place. What we want to do is get the good news out there. There's a lot of passionate volunteers all around the country keeping the trails going, organising walks on them. And when we do get the message out, Particularly in the United States, the Irish diaspora just love coming in and connecting with Ireland. It's a memorable experience for them on the walking trails. It's also slow tourism. It's the part of Ireland that reveals itself only to the slow tourists. So we think it's a win-win situation.
But at the moment, there's very little knowledge. So, for example, if you look up surfing, you will see there are surfing champions. That's a niche market. And that's been promoted abroad by Fallshire Ireland with people who are involved in surfing. It is virtually impossible to trace down any worthwhile information, even though we have 500 kilometres of fully waymarked pilgrim trails in Ireland that all predate the Camino.
500 kilometres, that's more extensive than I would have thought.
Yes, well, it's certain they're spread out over an area. There's a beautiful path. Gráinne will be coming on now to speak about that. St. Declan's Way, perfectly set up. You know, even though the Camino is quite long, most people who go out do one week. That's what people have time and maybe the energy and the fitness to do. St Declan's Way, you have that. But you also have other charter paths that are all joined together on a Camino. And even next weekend now, there's a walk going out on Saturday, fully guided down to Toher Farring, at least 2,000-year-old path, where you'll be walking into the sunset walking at mid-summer next Saturday. And you can do the full tour, 34 kilometres to your feet, but you can join the group for the last 17 kilometres as well on your way.
And all the information there will be at ballantubberabbey.ie.
Right, OK. Grainne, I'll bring you in. Good morning to you. Good morning. Tell me about St Declan's Way.
St Decton's Way is a 115 kilometre walking trail that travels from Cashel in County Tipperary to Ardmore in County Waterford. And the interesting part, David, about it is the variety of landscape and terrain all along there, starting in Cashel, which is, you know, over 1,500 years old. with a huge amount of history and a depth of sort of spiritual connectivity related to that. And then walking through the Golden Vale onwards over the Knockmill Downs, through the lush valley of West Waterford, the Blackwater Valley and onwards towards Ardmore and the seascape of Ardmore. So 115 kilometres is broadly five days of walking. At 20, 25 kilometres a day, it offers exactly the same level of distance that the Camino would offer.
As John says, similar levels of fitness needed to walk St. Eclin's Way as one would walk on the Camino in Spain. The difference really is that it's on our doorsteps and it is easily accessible. from Dublin, from Cork. And that's why we find that we have quite a lot of domestic interest, but also international interest.
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