
www.discoverireland.ie
The
official name of the Bureau of Ireland Travel is Bord
Fáilte, which essentially means ‘The
Welcome Committee’. Bord Fáilte is a government-run
agency that deals with the promotion of Ireland as a tourist
destination. This organization is the licensing board for Irish
restaurants, accommodations, pubs and tourist sites. They rate
all aspects of the tourism industry and, when these businesses
are approved, it means that the establishment meets the minimum
requirements and is allowed to display the Bord Fáilte
sign.
The
Bureau of Ireland Travel can be very helpful in planning
your Ireland vacation. They publish catalogs of accommodations,
which are categorized separately as hotels, B&B’s
and self-catering accommodations, as well as being indexed
by county. These were a great help to us when we planned
our first trip to Ireland in 1998. If you are the adventurous
traveler,
you will know if the restaurant or B&B that you
happen upon is Bord Fáilte approved because of
the sign outside.
The
Bureau of Ireland Travel also conducts competitions for
the tourism businesses to compete for awards in their category.
The Lydon family's self-catering accommodations have won
numerous awards in their field. Phil
O’Brien's Travelers
Rest B&B and Tina
Slevin’s Coolabawn House B&B have also won awards. This particular competition is called ‘The
Irish Welcome Awards’. As a matter of fact, we were
asked by Mary Lydon to write a recommendation for them,
as we were
their very first guests at Kiltale
House in Dunsany, Co.
Meath. Since then, they have grown by leaps and bounds,
and they now
have several more accommodations.
Bord
Fáilte also publishes the Bord Fáilte Ireland
Guide, which has been newly reconceived and rewritten. The
latest edition is organized into the seven principal tourist
regions: the East, the South, the Shannon, the West, the North-West,
Northern Ireland, and the Midlands. The book provides basic
tourist information on where to go, what to see, and what's
going on.
There
are features on Irish history, Irish society, food and
drink, sport, social life, wildlife, and art and architecture.
Bord Fáilte Ireland Guide is a wealth of local
and regional information and insider tips. Written by
contributors with
extensive, first-hand knowledge of Ireland, it is the
most up-to-date and comprehensive general guide to Ireland
of its
kind.
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