This Week >> 3/13/2008
Join Let's Travel this week as we travel to the land of the blarney stone, and hear from several interesting guests. First we will be speaking to Mr. Niall Burgess, the New York Consul General to Ireland. Then we will get some education on Irish cuisine from Bradley Aug, the executive chef of Fitzpatrick Hotels, and also hear from the company's Senior Vice President, George Hurt as well as a marketer of many Irish hotels, Mr. José M. Barreiro. Our next guest is Ciaran O'Reilly, the Producing Director of the Irish Reperatory Theatre in New York City. Lastly will be Declan O'Brien, President of Destinations Ireland, a company that specializes in tour programs for individual first-time golfers and professionals, and for corporate and incentive events in Ireland throughout the year.
To learn more, be sure to check out the Offical Irish Tourist Office
Where we'll be exploring
IrelandIreland (Irish: Éire; Ulster Scots: Airlann) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain. Politically, the state Ireland (described as the Republic of Ireland in cases of ambiguity) covers five-sixths of the island, with Northern Ireland (NI), part of the United Kingdom, covering the remainder in the north-east.
The population of the island is slightly over six million (2007), with 4.34 million in the Republic (1.7 million in Greater Dublin) and an estimated 1.75 million in Northern Ireland (0.6 million in Greater Belfast). This is a significant increase from a modern historical low in the 1960s, but still much lower than the peak population of over 8 million in the early 19th century, prior to the Irish potato famine.
The name Ireland derives from the name Ériu (in modern Irish, Éire) with the addition of the Germanic word land. Most other western European names for Ireland derive from the same source, such as French Irlande, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese Irlanda, German Irland and the Dutch Ierland.
Guests
Irish Reperatory Theatre
Ciarán O'Reilly is the Executive Producer and co-founder along with his partner, Artistic Director, Ms. Charlotte Moore, of the Irish Reperatory Theatre in New York City. The IRT, located at 132 West 22nd Street in the Chelsea section of the city is now in its 20th season.
In his career, Ciarán has directed Sive, Defender of the Faith, The Hairy Ape, The Field, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, The Nightingale and Not The Lark and The Invisible Man by Jennifer Johnston all for The Irish Rep. He was seen on Broadway, in A Touch of the Poet with Gabriel Byrne (directed by Doug Hughes). In 2005, he toured Ireland with Catharine Byrne in Eugene O'Brien's Eden directed by John Tillinger. Previous to that, he appeared at The Westport Country Playhouse in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me by Frank McGuiness. He has appeared at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and made his Broadway debut in The Corn is Green.
Ciarán's many Off-Broadway roles include: two productions of The Shadow of a Gunman; Brendan Behan's The Hostage; Hugh Leonard's Da, Summer and The Au Pair Man; Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come!; J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World; Harold Prince's Grandchild of Kings; Geraldine Aron's Same Old Moon; Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark; Dion Boucicault's The Shaughraun; John Murphy's The Country Boy; and Frank McCourt's The Irish...and How They Got That Way. He appeared in The Devil's Own (starring Harrison Ford), "Law & Order SVU" (NBC), "The Irish...and How They Got That Way" (WNET), and "Third Watch" (NBC). With Charlotte Moore, he founded The Irish Repertory Theatre and has appeared in many of their productions and produced all of them. He has been honored by Irish America Magazine with the Irish America Top 100 Irish Award, and is the recipient of the 2008 Ambassador Award.
For an update of the plays being performed this season at his theatre you can call at (212) 255-0281
José M. Barreiro, Marketing Director
Travel Impressions
José M. Barreiro – a self describe Europhile and all round world traveler, Barreiro is responsible for the development and marketing of Europe destinations at Travel Impressions. With over 25 years experience in the travel industry, Barreiro has been involved in the sales, marketing and strategic planning of international destinations and hotel companies for publishing/media companies, tour operators and airlines. His career has included management roles at media organizations like Northstar Travel Media (publisher of Travel Weekly and Hotel & Travel Index) and Spa Finder magazine, in addition to marketing and product development roles with GO GO/Liberty Travel, Spanish Heritage Tours and now Travel Impressions.
At the risk of coming across biased, José reports his favorite European country is his native country of Spain!
American Express Vacations Profile
American Express Vacations (AEV) provides premium, customized vacation experiences to more than 150 destinations worldwide, including the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Latin America, the Islands of Tahiti, Canada, Hawaii and the Continental U.S. Whether you are interested in exploration, sightseeing, family, spa, romance or adventure getaways, AEV offers personalized vacation options and activities to accommodate all interests and tastes -- even those of the most discriminating travelers. When you book an AEV trip, you receive added benefits and services including concierge-style, pre-trip arrangements for dining, golf tee times, spa appointments and other activities, free international cell phone rentals, discounts on luggage delivery and passport expediting, and much more. And, if you purchase your vacation with an eligible, enrolled American Express® Card, you also receive double Membership Rewards® points.
American Express Vacations packages can be booked through any American Express Travel Office or representative agency, online at American Express Vacations or by calling 1-800-335-3342
Declan O'Brien, President
Destinations Ireland
Declan O'Brien is the President of Destinations Ireland, a company that specializes in tour programs for individual first-time golfers and professionals, and for corporate and incentive events in Ireland throughout the year. Personal guided tours are available. Declan offers a variety of packages depending on the requirements of each individual, group, or corporate entity, and often seen leading a program on his own. Located in Midtown Manhattan.
Declan can be personally reached at (212) 757-5797
Destinations Ireland
Destinations Ireland's specialty is developing tour programs for both professional and leisure golfers in Ireland. DI has a wide selection of golf courses in different parts of Ireland depending on the season and the requirements of both individual corporate planner. A number of packages and programs are available throughout the year. Destination Ireland is a full service travel agency under the direction of Declan O'Brien, its president in New York. It's a member of both the IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) and the NAGTOA (North American Golf Tour Operators Association).
To visit DI's website, check out www.destinations-golf.com
Or you can call at (800) 441-9329
Top 10 reasons to visit Ireland:
1. English Speaking
2. Family
3. Music
4. History
5. Easy to Get to
6. Walking -spectacular coastline
7. Value
8. Accommodation
9. Friendliness
10. Sport
Also be sure to check out the History Channel's feature on St. Patrick's Day