British Regional Airlines are improving their services from Ireland with new routes being added this summer and other routes increasing in frequency. From May 19th travellers from Cork can fly direct to Glasgow, and from May 27th to Jersey. Dublin will have a new service to Cardiff and improved services to the Isle of Man. British Regional also has services from Dublin to Sheffield and Southampton and flights can be booked through your local ITAA travel agent.
May bank holiday getaways are available from Panorama to Morocco, Tenerife, the Algarve, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tunisia ex Dublin and Cork. Prices from £374 for half board hotel in Morocco, from £224 for self-catering in Tunisia from Cork, eight nights in the Algarve for the same price and the Canaries from £334. Details from your local travel agent.
This year's Wicklow Mountains Spring Walking Festival (April 29th and 30th) will be based at Ballyknockan and Lacken on the east side of the Blessington Lakes. Entry costs £10 per person per day. Details from (0404) 66058 or email: wctr@iol.ie
Easter weekend sees the launch of the Irish Outdoor website, www. irishoutdoorweb.com. The site has been designed for the outdoor enthusiast and will have links to relevant websites and a noticeboard for club news, gear reviews, expedition reports etc. If you are in the outdoor business, a club or an activity centre seeking staff you can have your details linked to the site. Details from info@irishoutdoorweb.com.
Tickets are now on sale for the Castleward Opera 2000 season, which will run from June 1st to 24th. The operas this year are Puccini's Madame Butterfly, sung in Italian and Martha by Flotow, sung in English. Details of the operas and accommodation in the Strangford area from Northern Ireland Tourist Board, 1850 230 230, 19 Nassau Street, Dublin 2.
Thackeray said "a more beautiful village can scarcely be seen than Oughterard. It stands upon Lough Corrib picturesque and romantic. The river Feogg comes dashing over the rocks and by woods until it passes the town and meets the lake." Encouragement enough to visit this Connemara village for a quiet retreat or to fish. Kathleen Dolly's Waterfall Lodge has all the amenities for that and more. An elegant period house in mature gardens and with private game fishing and a waterfall, if you feel like escaping to this idyll give her a call on (091) 552168.
Seacat has launched the Isle of Man season with short break fares for £129 for a car and up to four passengers. There is also discounts of 20 per cent for groups of 10 or more foot passengers. Sailings take two hours 45 minutes on Thursday and Sunday until July when there will be three sailings per week. Details and bookings from 1 800 551743 or your local travel agent.
Joan Scales can be contacted at jscales@irish-times.ie