The Burren, in Co Clare, has been named the Best Place to Holiday Ireland 2022 in The Irish Times’ summer competition.
It wins the award not only for its stunning landscape, breathtaking coast and world-class tourist attractions but also for its grassroots food culture, sustainable-tourism vision and joined-up community work.
In May this year The Irish Times embarked on a search for the Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022, in association with Fáilte Ireland. People around the country were asked to nominate their favourite holiday destinations, and entries poured in: some 1,200 in all, from every county in Ireland.
Researchers and judges traversed the country, selecting first a longlist of 20, then a shortlist of five. These were Achill, in Co Mayo; the Burren, in Co Clare; Carlingford, in Co Louth; the Causeway Coast and Portrush, in Co Antrim; and Inishbofin, off Co Galway.
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Criteria in choosing the winner included natural amenities; built environment; tourism services; diversity; a welcome for outsiders; transport links; accommodation supply; and (this year of all years) cost.
Why did the Burren win? Nadia El Ferdaoussi, travel blogger and a member of the judging panel, explains: “There’s a feeling of excitement when it comes to tourism in the Burren. Every time I visit there’s a new experience to try or a new place to eat. I used to have an image in my mind of nothing but a grey landscape where walking was the only thing to do, but I was very wrong. The drive up to Fanore beach along the coast is spectacular.
“Other highlights include the Burren Farm Experience, where you can try some of the best local produce Clare has to offer, Wild Atlantic Picnics and Grá & Co picnics, incredible self-catering accommodation options with Fiddle and Bow, Burren Perfumery, the Burren Smokehouse, brunch in Wild at Doolin Cave, a dip at Doolin Pier.
“The landscape is what sets The Burren apart, but the genuine friendly welcome is what’ll make you want to keep going back for more.”
Trevor White, director of the Little Museum of Dublin and another of the judges, says: “One of the great natural landscapes of Europe, the Burren is a place of enormous character and charm. There is plenty to do, accommodation options for all budgets, and a welcome that is second to none.”
“The Burren is a haunting, stunning landscape,” says competition judge and Irish Times journalist Rosita Boland. “Among the fields of stone are a myriad of small businesses, making and selling local produce, while also collectively doing their best to safeguard this special place. The more you explore of this unique region in Ireland, the more it rewards the visitor.”
Cillian Murphy, county councillor, says of the Burren: “As a destination, it’s the complete package, a place you can visit for a week, two weeks or if the impulse takes you, to move there full-time. There is a cohesiveness to how it all works — again something that’s easier to talk about than to achieve. This is what makes it stand out against all the other destinations.”
Mary Minihan, Irish Times journalist and another of the judges, adds: “Refreshingly uncommercialised, there is little sense of tourists and visitors being gouged, and a true welcome is shown to outsiders. The Burren deserved to be crowned Best Place to Holiday in Ireland because it is such a magical place with an original vibe — a real X-factor that placed it above rival destinations.”
For more on the competition and why the Burren won it, read the Irish Times Magazine and irishtimes.com on Saturday. Thanks to Fáilte Ireland for supporting the contest
