Killala leading the way in eco tourism

Killala is leading the way in the drive to promote eco tourism and bring new business to Mayo, according to MEP Candidate for the North West, Paschal Mooney (FF).

A new initiative is set to transform The Old Deanery Cottages in Killala into an eco friendly venue which will appeal to this flourishing national and international market.

The project is being undertaken by Liz Keane and her partner, Anthony Murphy, who have applied to LEADER for funding for the enterprise.

Mr Mooney met Liz and Anthony while on the campaign trail in Co. Mayo recently (May 15) and has pledged his full support for the initiative.

"This is a fantastic tourism concept for Killala," said Mr Mooney, who is also Chairman of Failte Ireland North West.

"By promoting an environmentally friendly holiday village, Liz and Anthony will be able to tap into this growing market both at home and abroad.

"This is a real example of local entrepreneurs working through challenging times and endeavouring to bring eco-tourism and new business to Killala.

"It is a great opportunity for the locality and I wholeheartedly support their new venture.

"One of my main priorities if elected to the EU Parliament is to maximise funding for tourism related infrastructure for the North and West - as this is the backbone for future job creation," he said.

If it gets the go-ahead, the new Killala Cottages will provide the Green benchmark for other private self-catering tourist facilities across Mayo.

"We want to become the template for other similar facilities in Mayo," said Liz.

"Eco tourism embraces activities such as organic food production, rural transport, energy and waste management and relies on a rich local community.

"We are very grateful to Failte Ireland who gave us the funding for the initial business plan and we have now put in our application to LEADER.

"The cottages are 28 years old and, with rising energy costs, we realised we needed to go Green.

"We already have an organic garden and we recycle, however we need to take it to a different level, especially to attract visitors interested in eco-tourism.

"We will be able to provide an environmentally friendly holiday for families both at home and abroad," she said.

The couple also want to transform the cottages into a year round destination and plan on creating learning holidays - especially during the winter months.

"We are looking at transforming the stables into a suitable venue for courses in film, writing and art," said Liz.

"We also want to establish a heritage trail based on the route taken by Saint Patrick. It is believed that Killala was his first port of call and we want to facilitate tourists to follow in his footsteps in the locality," she said.