All roads may have led to Galway city for July's arts festival and August's week-long race meeting, but in general tourism in the western region has been slow this season, according to workers in the industry.
Final figures will not be available for some time, but indications show the number of visitors to the Castlebar and Westport area of Mayo is down on this time last year, says Ms Maria Quinn, of the Castlebar Chamber Commerce and Industry.
The rail dispute, which has affected services between Dublin to Westport and Ballina, is partly responsible, she stressed.
"Iarnrod Eireann's figures show that they were down 12,000 passengers in a six-week period. A good proportion of those people would have been holiday-makers."
The dispute has particularly affected visitors travelling west for weekend promotions with hotels, she comments.
However, festivals such as the Castlebar Walking Festival, during the first week in July, did attract visitors, with 1,400 people participating, Ms Quinn says.
Galway city's two major events, the arts festival and the races, which this year took place back to back, are a major magnet for tourists, observes Ms Ann Melia, tourism officer with Ireland West Tourism.
This year the races broke all records, with the official attendance put at 189,000 people, and accommodation in the city at a premium, she says. "From next week it will calm down," says Ms Melia, although she still cautions visitors "Don't leave home without checking for accommodation".
While the city and towns such as Clifden have been busy, not everybody in Galway county is happy with the number of tourists this year, she admits.
There is a feeling that the season is quieter, although figures have not yet been collated, and Ms Melia believes one reason for the problem may be the increased levels of accommodation available.
"There's now such a bank of accommodation, everyone is looking for their share of the cake."