Newly minted as I am to twitter I came across this article from the Limerick Leader… Fair Play to Terry – anything that brings tourism back to Ireland deserves a big cheer!
“TOURISM to the Mid-West is set to get a boost following the airing of the BBC1 programme, Terry Wogan’s Ireland, last Sunday night, which attracted over five million viewers.
The second part of the documentary series will be screened on BBC1 this Sunday night, and will focus on his visit to Northern Ireland.
Twitter and blog sites were inundated with comments about the programme in the past week, with many saying Failte Ireland would have paid highly for such positive advertising of the green isle. Others were critical that this was ‘twee’ Ireland at its best, with shots of Irish dancers, apparitions and of course, conversations about the Irish and their relationship with the demon drink.
Laura Ryan, communications executive with Limerick Co-ordination Office, said she doesn’t understand why some people were so critical of the programme. Ms Ryan said with Terry Wogan bringing his hometown of Limerick into the sitting rooms of five million British people, “how can you not be positive about that?”
Pat Daly, tourism division nanager of Shannon Development, said “there is no doubt that Terry Wogan’s Ireland will have a very positive impact in the marketplace and encourage new visitors from all across Great Britain to visit Ireland.”
The filming was conducted in May, June and July, and last week’s episode showed Sir Terry retracing his youthful footsteps around Limerick, from his schooldays in the Crescent, to his home in Elm Park, and onto to Leverette and Fry on O’Connell Street (now Timberland) where his father worked.
The whistle-stop tour of the Republic also featured scenic shots of King John’s Castle and the expanse of the River Shannon.
In his regular column in The Telegraph before the show, he wrote: “It’s a big little island, and we haven’t done more than skim the surface in two one-hour shows, but I have enough memories for a lifetime.”
Article from The Limerick Leader – 28 January 2011