Up to 100 hundred US tourists have been left stranded in Ireland after US travel firm Far & Wide went bust, owing millions of dollars to hoteliers and tour operators.
The company, which brings some 10,000 visitors to Ireland each year, said it filed for bankruptcy in Florida last night.
The immediate cause of the company's bankruptcy filing was a sudden and unexpected cash flow problem, combined with an inability to secure new financing.
The company had bought rival tour operator BMIT, which operated tours to Ireland for 27 years for both the independent and group traveler.