Tralee needs proper promotion - ‘We need to be shouting from the rooftop’ say councillors

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

Kerry councillors have called for greater promotion of the Tralee area, highlighting other municipal districts are “roaring and shouting” much louder online.

Councillor Mikey Sheehy urged the council to create a budget for the region’s advertisement, arguing that the area is currently left at the mercy of national funding streams.

“We need to be shouting from the rooftop and we need to be looking at our own resources on how we market Tralee, and how we tell the world what we have on our doorsteps here – beaches, trails, tracks, greenways, mountains, sporting heritage, arts culture through Siamsa Tire,” said Cllr Sheehy.

“We pride ourselves on our festivals as well. We had a very successful Samhain last weekend. There was a great crowd in town, I brought my three girls down to it; there was a great atmosphere, and the weather played ball.”

“I genuinely think we need to start looking seriously in terms of our own budget as to how we can start funding and marketing our town…we’re still at the behest of national bodies like Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to promote our town.”

“When you look to other municipal districts in other areas, they’re shouting and roaring much more than we are. We’ve got great platforms like Discover Kerry…but that’s still an arm’s length from us. I still think we need to be shouting and roaring from a Tralee MD basis.”

Councillor Deirdre Ferris echoed Cllr Sheehy’s comments, highlighting the area’s diverse offerings to visitors.

“What councillor Sheehy has said is 100 per cent correct. We don’t advertise our town enough. We are the county capital. We have so much to offer and I always feel we are somewhere in the background,” said Cllr Ferris.

“We have fantastic eating establishments, nights-out establishments, incredible accommodation centres in the town and in the peripheral villages of Blennerville, Ardfert and Fenit.”

She also pointed out the potential of Fenit’s harbour and the opportunity to renovate and expand facilities there.

Cllr Ferris said the facilities were in bad condition and a master plan needed to be developed to allow better maintenance and increase the port’s capacity.

“I had significant complaints from fishermen and service users in the marina about what is essentially a degrading looking pier, with services in a poor state of repair,” said Cllr Ferris.

“Ladders have been broken, fishing boats have been damaged, so we have to do something. It’s a primary source of income for many in the Fenit and Spa area who fish from there.

“The berthing areas are at capacity. There is a waiting list for years to get in there and we’re not maximizing the potential there. If we did have a form of available spaces for yachts coming in and out, it would be fantastic. It would further enhance what the area does offer.”

The council said they had allocated funding to develop a master plan for the Fenit area and that they would look into creating a district-specific promotional budget.