A new tourism package which aims to develop the connection between the Irish and Welsh to promote Celtic culture on both sides of the Irish Sea was announced in Dublin yesterday.
The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, launched the project, called "Intraceltic", which will use the linguistic resources of Ireland and Wales and their cultural heritage.
The project is a joint venture between Comhdhail Naisiunta na Gaeilge, the central steering council for all Irish-language organisations, and Menter a Busnes, a business development company in Wales, and is funded under the INTERREG maritime programme.
The director of Comhdhail, Mr Peadar O Flatharta, said it was an exciting new commercial venture running on both sides of the Irish Sea, to prove to themselves and others that there was a market for Celtic tourism services, products and packages.
Recent research in Ireland, Wales and Scotland had shown there was a new type of visitor to these islands who had a keen interest in traditional music, dance, and listening to the Celtic languages being spoken.