From Strong Language » Irish Marketing Journal – Strong Language:
The opening of the National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin in the run-up to Paddy’s Day induced the usual po-faced indignation about the image of ‘modern’ Ireland. The headline writers and columnists had a field day, with the usual liberal sprinklings of ‘begorrah’ and ‘paddywhackery’ suffusing the media commentary.
But this is exactly the kind of humorous initiative we should be welcoming. In fact, the more of its ilk we foster, the better chance our economy will recover and we and our children will be able to earn a living in Ireland. The cognoscenti may hate it but we should embrace it.
Living up to the promises
Now that the ashes of the Celtic Tiger lie strewn beneath empty housing developments across the land, it’s time we examined every bit of the €155m marketing budget we as taxpayers have made available to Tourism Ireland this year and make sure we do our part to live up to the billing.
Considerable wads of dosh were spent ‘greening’ The London Eye, The Empire State Building and other iconic landmarks for St Patrick’s Day but what exactly is the image of Ireland most likely to attract overseas visitors? Personally, give me a theme park over a technology park any day.
I would love to visit a country replete with blue-eyed, dark-haired men with mischievous twinkles in their eyes, comely maidens dancing at the crossroads, freckle-faced children with mops of red hair and auld wans sinking foaming pints of the black stuff as they play traditional music and sing of days gone by.
In fact, I wouldn’t mind living there either! A bit of paddywhackery wouldn’t do us any harm – imagine an Ireland minus drugs (other than alcohol and tobacco of course), street crime, daily gang shootings and filthy cities and beaches? But I digress.
Greening of the economy
I am not getting all maudlin about the so-called good old days with pigs in the parlour but if we want to make sure mass emigration remains firmly rooted in the past, attracting tourists here is fundamental. Tourism was worth an estimated €5.2 billion to the economy last year, despite a 17% fall on the 2008 figure. That translates to a lot of jobs.
That’s why it is absolutely crucial we get this country right as a product – we can’t afford to get it wrong. I challenge those who rise their eyes to heaven when they read about the National Leprechaun Museum to think again. So what if Darby O’Gill and the Little People and Finian’s Rainbow are a lot of tosh – they sell Ireland just as apple pie, white picket fences and Sex in the City sell America. And when many Americans visit here they find a little of what the heritage they are seeking in the fairy forts dotted around the country, in the Celtic crosses, in the folklore and in the friendliness they encounter from time to time. It’s just nostalgia for a simpler time.
Ireland is an original place, known around the world for its people. So, get those tourists in here – even if they only see a glimmer of what they are looking for we can sort it out afterwards. We won’t do it by trying to sell something that everyone else has. The prospect of the magical and mystical has sustained generations of tourists – it’s time to park the cultural cringe in favour of boosting the numbers.
A wink and a nod
Despite perceptions to the contrary, Americans in particular are not the naive creatures many of us believe them to be. Really…they don’t actually believe that they will encounter leprechauns when they visit Ireland. They do believe though they will experience a unique brand of history and culture complemented by friendliness, gorgeous scenery and all the mod cons. They expect to have a good time – after all, they are paying top dollar for it.
The problem is, of course, that the tourist is about as likely to find a pot of gold as he is to find the kind of country promoted by Tourism Ireland. At best we are currently pushing a mirage and it’s time we sorted it out – and quickly.
Overpriced restaurants, poor service, litter, ribbon development, ubiquitous begging and lack of public transport are all part of the reality of visiting modern Ireland. Marketing will always put the best foot forward when it comes to selling a product but it cannot operate in a vacuum.
Cyclists, for example, attracted here by Tourism Ireland’s push to encourage activity holidays will certainly be very active trying to stay upright on crumbling roads replete with speeding motorists seemingly intent on making sure they gain a first-hand Irish experience with the old country. Irish drivers seem to regard those on two wheels as fair game and when I see cyclists abroad towing their kids behind in trailers I ask myself ‘would I feel safe doing the same at home?’ The answer is of course: not on my children’s lives!
We have to sort it out – marrying the mythological with the present shouldn’t be so hard. Personally, I hope the National Leprechaun Museum applies for a pub licence with a bar exemption for next year – I would look forward to bringing visitors there on Good Friday for a great night’s craic.
This post first appeared on Margaret E. Ward’s blog
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