Pilgrim’s Way has potential to be a major attraction

Pilgrim’s Way has potential to be a major attraction

9 August 2017

THE new St Patrick’s Pilgrim’s Way has been put to the test by some of Ireland’s most influential tourist operators.

The managing directors of Ireland’s largest inbound tourist operator, the Abbey Group, have promised to promote the walk after exploring part of the 80-mile pilgrim way, which runs from Armagh through Newry to Saint Patrick’s grave in Downpatrick. 

The Abbey Group employs 150 people in Dublin, London and Edinburgh and has an annual turnover of €90M. 

Having already sold the idea of including parts of the walking trail to their trade partners in Germany and America, the company’s chairman Brian McColgan and joint managing directors and owners, Jane Magnier and Marina Finn, visited last week to assess its potential for themselves. 

They walked the section from Spelga to Newcastle accompanied by Saint Patrick Centre director Dr Tim Campbell and Alan Graham, who devised the walking route with Tourism NI and the local councils.

“The St Patrick’s Way is a wonderful and, in our view, a very worthy new product addition for Ireland,” said Mr McColgan.

“We all know of the great success of the Camino de Santiago in Spain - I believe that with the right marketing and promotion, the St Patrick’s Way can over time welcome many international visitors to our shores who would not ordinarily think of an Ireland trip.”

Jane Magnier, who has walked over 400kms of the Camino Way in Spain, said the Mournes walk was more beautiful than any of the areas she had covered there.

“The stretch we walked on Monday from Spelga Dam, through Tollymore Forest Park and down to Newcastle was truly spectacular and offered wonderful variety,” she said. 

Council chairwoman Roísín Mulgrew welcomed the initiative, which she said was an excellent way of combining activity tourism with the unique history and 

heritage of Saint Patrick, while South Down MP Chris Hazzard said the walk brought the ancient kingdom of Down alive in sensational ways.

“St Patrick’s Way will leave you in no doubt why Patrick felt so at home walking through the drumlins of Down,” he said.

For more information about Saint Patrick’s Way including a free Pilgrim’s Guide and Maps contact Newcastle and Downpatrick Visitor Information Centres.