Travel expert Simon Calder is encouraging British holidaymakers to explore the wonders of county Mayo, along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new partnership with The Independent  travel journalist Simon Calder, to encourage travellers in Britain to consider a holiday or short break along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Tourism Ireland in London invited Simon Calder to film at a range of locations along the North-West section of the Wild Atlantic Way. The resulting content, which includes five articles and five videos, as well as an interactive map pinpointing the various places that Simon visited, appears as a specially-created Wild Atlantic Way hub on the travel section of The Independent’s website. 

Simon and his crew filmed at a range of locations in county Mayo – including Blacksod Lighthouse, Achill Island, the Mayo Dark Sky Park and Croagh Patrick. He also met with flute player Laoise Ni Chionnaith in Cobbler’s Bar in Westport to speak about the community of musicians in the town.

The articles highlight some of the many things to see and do along the Wild Atlantic Way, with the accompanying videos featuring interviews with locals and breath-taking footage. Simon tells readers all about “why the North-West coast of Ireland has managed to provide inspiration and respite for authors, musicians and movie makers for so many years”.

Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain, says the partnership “is a great way of showcasing this part of Ireland to a large audience of potential British visitors – helping us to spread the word about what makes a holiday in Ireland so memorable”.

 The partnership also includes ads on Independent.co.uk, enticing readers to visit the Ireland hub on the website, posts on the social channels of The Independent, as well as the sponsorship of one of Simon’s weekly emails to his readers. In total, the partnership will deliver around 1.4 million impressions (or opportunities to see by potential British holidaymakers).