`Well, we found it. Heaven on earth. And it wasn't where we expected. It was in the Lake District of Ireland. More specifically on a hillwalk over the lakes. And it wasn't just the natural beauty that caused the divine inspiration. It was the people of the area who opened their homes, their hearts, and a few fences along the way. A magical spot, Ireland's hidden treasure."
While England's Lake District was eulogised in the poetry of William Wordsworth, it is two American tourists who wax lyrical here about the lake district of Mayo and Galway.
Michelle and Carl Weissenberg visited the area last November and their ecstatic reaction is highlighted in the Lake Districts Enterprise brochure.
Ireland's lake district extends from the tiny village of Ballyglass to the north of Lough Carra, south along the shores of Lough Mask and Loughnafooey towards the northern tip of Lough Corrib.
It boasts a breathtaking pastiche of unspoilt scenery, rich pockets of Irishs-peaking communities, the historic Ashford Castle and the location in which John Ford's film The Quiet Man was shot.
Aspirations were high when a group of Ballinrobe businessmen came together to form Lake Districts Enterprise in 1997. The town did not have a healthy economic profile, its hinterland was ailing from a chronic pattern of migration. Rural schools were closing and small farmers were assessing economic viability as headage schemes were being replaced by Rural Environmental Protection Scheme incentives.
Four years later, miraculous changes have not occurred. However, Lake Districts Enterprise has made significant progress and is now firmly on the map.
When former sports journalist and native of Ballinrobe, Liam Horan, came on board as managing director the venture was 18 months old.
Mr Horan took on the job fully aware of the vastness of his brief. Now, having just resigned after two years, he remains positive but philosophical about regional development as a realistic and practical concept.
"There is a whole question about regional organisations," he says. "Can you impose ties on communities that are already separated by competing sports clubs, community councils, businesses, etc?"
It was Mr Horan's suggestion that he resign. He wanted to help cut administration costs. There are currently 16 employees of Lake Districts Enterprise, 14 of whom are paid by FAS. The enterprise also receives financial support from a network of business people in the area, the majority based in Ballinrobe.
To date it has developed an excellent website, published a brochure and increased its membership from 48 just over a year ago to 310. It has a commitment from the International Motorcaravan Festival to return to Ballinrobe Racecourse in 2002.
There is a sprawling population of between 14,000 and 15,000 in the lake districts. According to Mr Horan, "apathy is the biggest problem" and a large part of his work for the past year was meeting these communities and making them aware of the enormous potential of the organisation.
"We have successfully established this area as an area of great natural beauty," he says. "There is now a professional framework for event management and promotion. It is probably through the organisation of these events that local people will become convinced of their resources." He may have formally stepped down from Lake Districts Enterprise, but his heart is still behind it.
Further information available from: www.lakedistrict.ie