It seems the famed birdlife of the uninhabited Inishkea Islands may benefit from the “Biden Bounce”, as the recent visit of the 46th President of the United States has been dubbed in Co Mayo.
The manager of Mayo North Tourism, Mairéad Melody Carr, says bookings by American tourists have significantly increased due to the president’s high-profile visit to the county.
“I was even talking to business people as far away as the Belmullet area and Micheál Keane of Blacksod Sea Safaris, who brought some Secret Service personnel out to the islands, told me that there was huge interest in their trips to the Inishkeas, with bookings looking really good for the season. A director of the recently reopened Erris Coast Hotel in Geesala, Deborah O’Sullivan, also confirmed there was a bounce already from the visit.”
Ms Melody Carr said: “The fact that the president’s entourage used Knock airport is so important for putting a focus on the west. It means that visitors can now see how accessible we are and decide to spend their entire holiday here rather than just visit from Dublin or Galway”.
It was a busy April for Ballina’s Mount Falcon Hotel, which doubled up as the White House’s communications centre for the visit.
For owner Alan Moloney, however, any Biden Bounce is “at least a year to 18 months away”.
In the context of the domestic market too, we expect this region of north Mayo, which has not been privy to the same level of showcasing as other areas along the west, to really benefit
— Alan Moloney, owner of the Mount Falcon Hotel in Ballina
“The Americans like to plan their visits well ahead of time, even 24 months in advance. We definitely expect an increase in tourism here after so much television footage was beamed all over the US,” he says.
“In the context of the domestic market too, we expect this region of north Mayo, which has not been privy to the same level of showcasing as other areas along the west, to really benefit. I have received so many calls since last week from people praising how well Ballina looked,” he added.
Genealogical inquiries
With President’s Biden’s Irish heritage being key to his visit, the North Mayo Heritage Centre, situated in the grounds of historic Enniscoe House, Crossmolina, has already experienced an upsurge in genealogical inquiries from Americans.
Susan Kellett, the owner of the Blue Book guesthouse, said: “There have been a lot of inquiries from across the US from people with Co Mayo heritage since the visit, with staff referring some of them to the south Mayo branch of the service, in Ballinrobe, if geographically appropriate.”
The president was so warm and my nine-year-old granddaughter, Fearne, charmed him by saying, ‘Welcome, Mr President,’ and then saluting him
— Susan Kellett, owner of the Blue Book guesthouse
After the president’s visit to the north Mayo centre, which has led the search uncovering his genealogical roots and connections to the Blewitts of Ballina, he spent some down time at the historic house. Enniscoe House has been owned by the same family for 13 generations and it was there that General Ambale Humbert’s army found sustenance on their way to Castlebar during the 1798 rebellion.
[ Biden in Ballina: 'It has lifted the town. It does the heart good’Opens in new window ]
“The president was so warm and my nine-year-old granddaughter, Fearne, charmed him by saying, ‘Welcome, Mr President,’ and then saluting him. He had dinner here also with his sister Valerie and son Hunter before being whisked off in a helicopter from nearby Gortnor Abbey to his big Ballina event. His personal chef was in charge of our kitchen and we were told he likes to eat very simply whilst he is on trips abroad,” Susan Kellett said.
For Ballina 2023, the voluntary group which issued the invitation, President Joe Biden’s visit was the highlight of their year-long celebration of the foundation of the north Mayo town 300 years ago.
[ Biden concludes emotional day in Co Mayo with most personal speech of his tripOpens in new window ]
“We are so proud of how our spirit of volunteerism showcased the town,” says Anne-Marie Flynn. “We can certainly see the benefits of this in our web traffic and social media posts.”