Titanic Belfast opens March 31 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and will detail the world famous, ill-fated RMS Titanic, which sank in the north Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nova Scotia a century ago.
'Jump Into Ireland': Emerald Isle sharing plenty in 2012, 2013
In the four-hour tour de Irish for its Chicago audience, Tourism Ireland and its Ireland- and Northern Ireland-inducing partners showcased everything the Emerald Isle has to share.
“Jump Into Ireland” was an adventure traipsing across all things Irish, featuring performances by musicians including the duet Sephira (sisters Ruth and Joyce O'Leary). There was also some well-prepared Irish fare, with Sean Farnan, the chef at Priory House Restaurant in Benburb, Northern Ireland, on hand to share it.
The atmosphere and trappings made no mistake that “Jump Into Ireland” was about getting people to come to Ireland. The famed Belleek Pottery; notable lodgings like Belfast’s The Merchant Hotel, Kenmare’s The Park Hotel and Lough Eske Castle; and tour operators based in North America and Ireland were all part of the definitive focus on Ireland and Northern Ireland destinations.
“We are delighted to be here in Chicago profiling everything that is good about a trip to Ireland,” said Fiona Dunne, Tourism Ireland trade and promotions manager.
Chicago was the destination for the “Jump Into Ireland” campaign’s unveiling given that it is one of Ireland’s top three departure markets for North American tourists.
There is plenty going on in Ireland and Northern Ireland the next couple years to be enticed about.
The six-floor Titanic Belfast, reputed to be the largest visitor experience in the world focused on the ill-fated ship RMS Titanic, opens March 31 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Photo: DRTA
Famed Irish author James Joyce is a big part of the literary traditions in Dublin, Ireland, as this statue on Talbot Street attests.
Belfast is where the passenger liner was built. On its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, en route to New York, Titanic sank April 15, 1912, off the Nova Scotia coast in the north Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg. There were 1,517 people who perished in the disaster.
On Sept. 1, the football teams from the University of Notre Dame and U.S. Naval Academy play a regular-season game at 45,000-seat Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The matchup, known officially as the Emerald Isle Classic, is the season-opener for both teams. Notre Dame and Navy played a game in Dublin in 1996.
In fall, a new visitors center opens at the Giant’s Causeway UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in western Northern Ireland on the Antrim Plateau, the Giant's Causeway lies at the base of basalt cliffs along the Irish Sea and is comprised of about 40,000 massive black basalt columns sticking out into it.
Next year, Ireland is calling. The nation is holding a year-long celebration feting Irish people, culture, heritage and landscapes, and is inviting anyone who’s Irish-born, Irish-bred or just Irish in spirit to come. The event is called The Gathering Ireland 2013.
As Farnan said: “You’ve got to come to Northern Ireland (and Ireland). ... There’s no other way to experience it.”
