THE MAYOR of Letterkenny has defended the Donegal town from criticism in a new tourist guide, saying it has “an awful lot to offer” and a very strong community spirit.
After it was dubbed a "market town run amok" in the latest edition of the Lonely Planetguide to Ireland published yesterday, Gerry McMonagle said town councillors would deal with "constructive criticism".
The guide also said “mindless development” had resulted in “numerous faceless retail parks lining the roads, traffic problems and a complete lack of soul”.
Mr McMonagle noted on Highland Radio that the book also mentioned the good restaurants and the nightlife. “We’ve an array of restaurants and good entertaining pubs and nightclubs, but to say that we have no soul – I would argue strongly against that because we’ve a lot to offer in Letterkenny.”
There were theatres, cinemas, cultural centres, leisure centres, golf clubs and retail parks with some of the “biggest names”.
“Letterkenny has an awful lot to offer, plus we have a very strong community spirit.”
Mr McMonagle said the council always tried to improve facilities for people who came to visit and would continue to do that.
Businesses and sectoral lobby groups, for products ranging from the pint to the potato, also welcomed aspects of the new Lonely Planetguide.
Potato grower Steven Hatton of Eden Farm Potatoes, Co Wexford, welcomed the suggestion that the “humble potato” was top of the list of must-try local specialities.
“Despite the stereotyping and however much we’d like to disprove it,” Mr Hatton said, “potatoes are still paramount here and you’ll see lots of them on your travels.”
Mr Hatton believed the sunny southeast had fared “exceptionally well”, scoring well for food, scenery and history.
Unsurprisingly, the Vintners Federation of Ireland, which represents 4,500 publicans outside Dublin, welcomed the guide’s view that the Irish pub is the number one attraction for visitors. However, it claimed that 1,500 pubs had closed in the past five years and more job losses were “inevitable” unless the Government acted to support the industry.