That folks was the name (hashtag) that took over our lives when we had the bloggers here on a recent weekend trip. I’d had a little bit of a rant about the organising of the trip, but ultimately I believe it went well.
This blog post is really going to be about ‘thank you’. Thank you to all who were involved in one way or another. It could not have happened without your support.
Thank you to Alfie who thought the idea of a bloggers’ tour was a good one, and who persisted with me in convincing Mid Ireland Tourism to go for it. We love the area we live in, and want to help in any way we can to promote it and generate a better income for all others who live here.
Bloggers:
Thank you to the bloggers who agreed to travel (at their own expense) and give of their time and expertise to promote the area.
- Regula Ysewijn aka MissFoodwise, and her lovely hubby, Bruno.
- Lisa McGee aka Isle Magazine
- Dee Sewell aka GreensideUp
- Catherine Drea aka Foxglove Lane
- Susan Fitzgerald aka Vibrant Ireland
- Mona and Ron Wise aka WiseWords
- Daili Perez – our photographer for the day.
Accommodation Providers:
I struggled a bit organising the accommodation but in the end “it all worked out on the night”. Thank you to
- Townsend House Guesthouse
- Spinners Guesthouse
- Emmet House Bed & Breakfast
- and I guess, ourselves, under our airbnb hat!
Venues:
Perhaps I should have tried to visit less places – there were times when we were a bit rushed – but I was so enthusiastic to show off as much as possible! I just wanted to give everyone a taste of what is on offer – and, secretly, hoped it would tempt everyone to come back and visit again!
- SarahJane and Anne at Birr Theatre (and the unexpected pleasure of meeting the guys from Brickflicks)
- Angela Jupe at Bellefield Gardens
- Irene and Marcus (and their other visitors for their patience) at Fancroft Mill & Gardens
- Sean Ryan at Leap Castle – what a storyteller.
- Tom at Lough Boora Parklands
- Michael, Finola and Damien at Birr Castle
- Martin and Lorraine at Townsend Tapas Bar
- Conor and Breda at Memory Lane Antiques
- Barbara and Robert at Silverline Cruisers
Goody Bags and Tastings:
I really did ‘step outside the box’ for this, and major thanks must go to all the local producers who I asked and who without fail came up trumps.
- Birr Castle
- Lough Derg Chocolates
- Cais na Tire
- Memory Lane Antiques/Purcell Auctioneers
- Bo Bristle
- Brookfield Farm
- The Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers
- Angela Jupe
- Mossfield Cheese
- Wild Irish Beech Leaf Liqueur
- And again, I guess, ourselves…. wearing our Oldfarm hat
A special ‘thank you’ to Ron Wise who came to my rescue and made a delicious birthday cake for Regula who was celebrating her birthday that weekend.
And lastly, but definitely not least, mega thanks to Siobhan and David at Le Bouchon Restaurant in Portumna who stepped into the breech and produced the most delicious picnic lunch for us to take on the mini-cruise on Sunday.
That’s it folks…. I will, of course, be sharing blog posts as others write them…. for more detail on what we did and how the weekend went check out
Of course, if you are in the midlands, and on social media…. we’d love to see you using the ＃MagicalMidlands hashtag…. let’s keep the momentum going 🙂
A Year In Redwood 