The Source Theatre & Arts Centre here in Thurles Co. Tipperary are pleased to announce their new website, which has now been fully launched.
The previous layout has been completely redesigned with simplicity and ease of use with customers in mind, as well as the option for all clients, for the first time, to choose their own seat On-line. When customers activate the ‘Buy Tickets,’ icon they are directed into an interactive seating plan.
Customers can now browse all upcoming events by clicking ‘What’s On.’ & by clicking through on the scrolling images or checking out the highlights on the home page.
Events and offers can also be found on the notice board twitter stream and there is now an option to Like or Share events on Facebook, thus increasing networking information.
Couple of pieces of understandable good business ‘housekeeping,’ information, worth noting on this ‘The Source Website.’ :-
All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges are allowed.
The maximum amount of tickets that can be purchased per transaction on-line is 10, so for larger group bookings, please do phone (0504) 90204.
Wheelchair users, do please phone The Source Box Office on (0504) 90204 to reserve your tickets, in the interests of public safety.
Concessions will apply to Students, Recipients of Unemployment Benefit, Assistance or Disability Allowance, Lone Parents and Pensioners. (Valid ID understandably will need to be produced in all such cases.)
One very tiny criticism – Why not display a digital drawing of this fine theatre’s numbered seating arrangements, to enabling those less daring & less IT literate, booking by phone, to choose their preferred seat, – just a thought.
A new group of individuals interested in the future of Thurles have now decided, over past weeks, to establish a Marketing Group to continue to market Thurles as a possible future tourism destination.
Thurles Tipperary
The group are expected to focus initially on the Thurles International Hurling Festival, which has been held over the past two years, in the hope that they can assist in the further development of this Festival, thus growing it into something bigger and more attractive to both national & overseas tourists in the years ahead.
Fingers crossed, that this new Marketing Group will be granted the same financial support enjoyed by the previous Thurles Marketing Group, which decided to shut up shop in May 2011.
This previous organisation you will remember, which comprised members from North Tipperary County Council, Thurles Town Council, Tipperary Institute, Shannon Development, IDA, North Tipperary Enterprise Board, Leader Group and the Thurles Chamber of Commerce had been in existence for a number of years seeking to promote Thurles at home and abroad, but failed in most of its attempted initiatives.
The newly elected members of this Marketing forum are as follows: Colm Fogarty (Chairperson), Catherine Fogarty (Secretary/PRO), Jacqui Morrissey (Treasurer), Councillor Seamus Hanifan, Councillor John Kennedy, Michael Bowe, Noel Ryan and Rona Sorrell.
Persons wishing to make submissions to this Marketing Group are invited to contact them at Thurlesmf@gmail.com or via Telephone at 087 2701689.
We wish this new committee every success, at this time, in this new yet much to be welcomed local initiative.
Someone once said “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The phrase is used to describe the persuasive power of numbers, particularly when the use of statistics is required in bolstering untruths and weak arguments.
Such is the case today, with Tourism Ireland welcoming the latest Central Statistics Office, Ireland (CSO) figures which show there was an eight per cent increase in the number of visitors holidaying in Ireland in 2011. Figures bandied about by RTE, Radio Stations and leading newspapers inform us that 6.6 million tourists came here in 2011 – that’s half a million more than in 2010.
“Great, fabulous, our economy is on the up, very soon we can pay our debts and recover our valued sovereignty,” you say, but the truth is less sensational and sobering.
These figures being bandied about today are a gross exaggeration. According to the (CSO) visitor figures for 2011, there were only 6505 million, while statistics for Overseas Visitors visiting Ireland since 2004 are recorded as follows:-
See the figures Here for yourselves. Truth is we had 1.5 million less visitors here in Ireland, in 2011, than we had in 2007.
Tourism Ireland did not state that according to the same CSO (30th August 2012) they forecast that in the period May – July 2012, the total number of visitor trips to Ireland fell by 2.2% to 1,937,800, or an overall decrease of 43,000, compared to the same period in 2011. Trips in 2012 by residents of Great Britain to Ireland, over the same period, dropped by 6.8% to 746,200. The number of visitors from North America decreased by 3.3% to 347,600. Visitors from European Countries, other than Great Britain (Other Europe), rose by 2.1% to 723,600 while visitors from ‘Other Areas,’ increased by 7.6% to 120,400.
See their 2012 figures Here , so who does Tourism Ireland believe they are fooling.
Ireland has two State organisations, uniquely by European standards, involved in Irish tourism, namely Tourism Ireland & Fáilte Ireland, former involved in international marketing, while the latter is involved in home marketing.
Fáilte Ireland, state that there were 6.24 million overseas visitors to the Republic in 2011 and they spent a total of €3.16 billion. The previous year there were 5.95 million visitors and they spent €3 billion, while in 2009 there were 6.58 million visitors and they spent €3.4 billion. Project director of The Gathering, Jim Miley, states that a more conservative estimate of a ‘per-person spend,’ is probably justified given that many of those who respond to ‘The Gathering Message,’ will be staying with family or friends.
A budget for tourism of €5 million has been sanctioned for this year, by Varadkar’s department, in order to promote the idea of “The Gathering Ireland 2013,” and it is expected a similar amount of public money will be spent on the project next year. However one fact is definite, little or none of this funding has been spent to market Thurles & North Tipperary.
Like the man said “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Steering Committee Hold Community Meeting For “The Gathering”
North Tipperary will host a community meeting in advance of “The Gathering Ireland 2013.” The Gathering is Ireland’s national tourism initiative, launched earlier this year by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
To get things rolling, a special Community Meeting will take place in the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, on Thursday 26th July at 7.00pm. All are welcome to attend this meeting, which will offer an opportunity for local people to learn more about ‘The Gathering’ and how they can become involved. Anyone with ideas for a ‘Gathering’ can pledge them online after the meeting. They will also be able to access tools and supports online to help them to organise their Gatherings.
Jim Miley, Project Director of The Gathering Ireland 2013, has urged North Tipperary locals to attend the meeting on Thursday 26th July, stating; “The Gathering Ireland 2013 is a people’s project. It’s all about you, your family, your neighbours, your sports club, your college, your place of work – in fact, whatever community or group you belong to – planning special events in 2013 that will highlight what is great about your town and county. I know people here in North Tipp have a great spirit and some wonderful suggestions for Gatherings. We’re looking forward to hearing all of your ideas.”
Thursday’s meeting is organised by the North Tipperary Gathering Steering Committee, led by local Gathering Co-ordinator, Attracta Lyons, Community & Enterprise Development Officer with North Tipperary County Council. Announcing plans for the meeting, Ms.Lyons stated: “By calling this meeting, we are asking everyone in North Tipperary to get involved in the Gathering in 2013. This is an exciting opportunity for each and every one of us to play our part in showing what is best about the County and our people. We have some great networks and ideas here as to how we can reach out to our friends and loved ones overseas and invite them home next year. 2013 is going to be an incredible year in Ireland and we want North Tipperary to be part of it.”
Gathering Community Meetings will be held throughout Ireland in the coming year ahead. Local Gathering organisations are being set up in every county, comprising a range of organisations. These include sporting bodies, cultural and musical groups, local authorities, local development companies and other bodies.
Community projects already underway throughout Ireland include Clan Gatherings, Genealogical Projects, School Reunions, Twin-Town visits and an Outreach Initiative where local communities will contact people who have left the country.
The Gathering 2013 continues to gain momentum with leading Irish personalities such as Pierce Brosan, Liam Neeson, Maeve Binchy and Paul O’Connell already pledging their support to this exciting initiative. A large number of companies and organisations have already got involved including Google and Facebook, while KPMG and PwC have confirmed they will hold their International Alumni events in Ireland, bringing 1,000 International visitors.
For further information contact Community & Enterprise Department, North Tipperary County Council on Tel. 067 44858 or 067 44522 or Email Attracta.Lyons@northtippcoco.ie
Attention all those involved in the Tipperary Tourism Industry. At long last a new, intelligent, modern, Tourism Guide has hit the book shelves here in Co Tipperary.
To be more accurate this Guide, is more akin to a rich colourful coffee table publication, allowing guests / readers to sit and be entertained, thus inspiring conversation and alleviating boredom. The pages contained, consist of high quality photographs and illustrations, accompanied by captions and small blocks of explanatory text, shown directly opposite each picture.
New Tourist Guide "Destination Cashel."
This book, which contains some 180 pages of valuable information about Tipperary, is now a compulsory purchase for all Tourist Accommodation Providers in Tipperary. If any tourists out there are reading this blog, here is the ultimate tourist guide to purchase, not just to find areas of interest while you are amongst us, but to keep and cherish as a memory & to show to friends, as you relate what we hope will be a memorable tale and a wonderful experiences of your travels in Tipperary.
This Guide, which I hasten to add is the brainchild of Catherine Stapleton, published & superbly produced by Lion Print, Cashel, is now on sale here in Thurles at Bookworm, for a value for money price of just €5.00.
Having read this Guide, and followed, with interest the “8 planned Day Trips,” laid out in it’s content, using Cashel as the centre point, I sent this publication to three groups all with a genuine interest in promoting tourism in Thurles.
Read Their Reviews
Mr P.J. Shanahan (Thurles Chamber of Commerce) “I was delighted having read the book “Destination Cashel,” which provides, for the first time, a simple plan for tourist on what to see, not only in Cashel, but the whole county of Tipperary, including our own historic town of Thurles. The book contains eight planned routes with a brief history of different places along the way and a list of events that take place here in the premier county. It is a fantastic guide to visitors, with pictures that sell County Tipperary as the beautiful county it really is, personally I love the picture of Ardfinnan, but I of course St Mary’s Church and St Patrick’s College are hidden treasure in Thurles. Aimed at anyone who might pick the book up for a light read,will give vital help to tourists who visit our stunning county, but I also feel it will also give locals inhabitants an amazing in-site into what exists on their own doorstep. Destination Cashel is a must buy for anybody visiting or living in Tipperary this year.”
Councillor Mr Gerard Fogarty (Thurles Town Council) “The ‘Destination Cashel‘ tourist guide is a fantastic example of how individuals and local businesses can work together with enthusiasm to produce a fine document selling their local community and the cream of what it has to offer. We have a proud historical and cultural tradition here in Tipperary and it’s important to showcase and promote our historical sites and commemorative events & carry them on into the future, while at the same time benefit our local economy, stimulating our labour market. This publication’s content sends a message to the rest of the country and indeed to the world that Tipperary is open for business. It will also encourage our neighbours residing in other counties to come & enjoy all the many wonders Co Tipperary has to offer. It would be fantastic progress for Thurles if we could drive a similar exciting project for our own area and I would be delighted to give any assistance I can to do that. I look forward to working with state agencies and local business and community enthusiasts, to develop and fund such an initiative.”
Mr Stewart Willoughby (St Mary’s Famine Museum Thurles) “Excellent publication and already under the arms of a few tourists visiting the Famine Museum. Tourists report that the book, together with it’s excellent high definition pictures and short informative script, is a huge advantage when planning their day trips. The Guide’s Author has climbed inside the heads of Irish & foreign tourists and provided them with information long sought after. Highly recommended.”
Has your Pub, B & B, Hostel, Farm Guest House, Hotel, etc. got a copy ?
Trust me you do need this publication in your establishment & your guests will thank you all the more for providing them with the information contained.
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