New Irish festival in Boston to start in September

A major new festival aimed at boosting Irish tourism and Ireland vacations will be taking place in the historic city of Boston starting in September.

The three-day event, entitled iFest, will take place at the Seaport World Trade Center starting on the 26th September. It is estimated that the event will cost in the region of $4 million to put together, with the aim of showcasing the culinary, arts and sporting stars of Ireland. The planned festival is the brainchild of the Irish hospitality industry supported warmly by politicians to help promote Irish tourism, as reported recently in the Boston Globe:

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New Tourism Push for Ireland

Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland have been busy promoting Ireland as a destination. These days you can barely open a magazine or turn on the television without seeing the country being used as a backdrop. The aim of this is to increase both international and domestic tourism in Ireland.

Domestic tourism rose by 3% in 2013 and recently Failte Ireland launched their #This is Living campaign in a bid to promote a vacation in Ireland. This campaign incorporates real holiday footage from people whilst taking a trip to Ireland.

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Shortlist for 2014 Top Tourism Towns unveiled

A short-list of 15 towns and villages from across Ireland has been unveiled by the national tourist board, Fáilte Ireland, all of which are being put forward for consideration in the 2014 Tourism Towns Awards.

It is the third year that the competition will take place and is designed to acknowledge the Irish towns and villages where the local community goes the extra mile to enhance their appeal to tourists and those on vacation in Ireland.

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Irish America bringing Americas National Holiday to Irish attention

Summer in Ireland is in full throttle and there are yet more festivals and events of note happening up and down the country this weekend and weeks to come as summer festivals and shows kick into gear.

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Feile Brian Boru

The millennium celebrations in honour of Irish legend Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf which took place back in 1014, continue to gather momentum with more events and festivals happening over the next few weeks and months in honour of the legendary Irish historical figure. One festival to note taking place in a few weeks time is Feile Brian Boru, an annual celebration of the life and times of Brian Boru.

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Ireland’s top tourist attractions for 2013 revealed

Ireland’s 10 most popular tourist attractions are compiled each year by the country’s national tourism body, Fáilte Ireland, in what many see as a definitive list of what tourists like to do and see on their down-time while on a vacation in Ireland.

Following on from its strong performance in 2012, the Guinness Storehouse topped the poll after welcoming as much as 1,157,000 visitors on their trips to Ireland during 2013, representing an increase of approximately 70,000 visitors on the previous year.

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Hollywood actor Paul Rudd claims Ireland is ‘hands down the greatest place on earth’

The renowned comedian actor and Hollywood actor Paul Rudd has claimed that Ireland is “the greatest place on earth” during an interview on the Late Show with David Letterman recently.

The star of hit shows such as Anchorman and Dinner for Schmucks, recently visited Donegal on a trip to Ireland for a friends stag party, also told a bizarre story about how he was duped by the father of Everton and Republic of Ireland player, Seamus Coleman, while on the vacation in Ireland.

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Ireland Voted Best Country in the World

Ireland is the best country in the world according to the “Good Country Index”. The index ranks nations according to their overall contribution to humanity using 35 separate indicators from the United Nations, the World Bank and other international institutions spread across seven categories.

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Ireland’s glorious weather visible in latest snap from space

For those you on vacation in Ireland who are probably experiencing a rare spot of summer weather at present with blue cloudless skies dominating the horzon. and the sweltering temperatures appear to be visible as far afield as space.

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Erris in County Mayo is the best place to go wild in Ireland

The Irish Times Newspaper has recently concluded its competition to decide which was the best place to go wild during a vacation in Ireland.

The competition was a hunt for the best places in the 32 counties to experience nature, from empty beauty spots, to dramatic locations that let visitors actively engage with nature through sports such as climbing, surfing, walking, biking or kayaking.

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