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AN ACCOMMODATION WEBSITE has said searches for hotels in Co Rosommon have almost tripled in the last year – thanks to the publicity from Chris O’Dowd’s TV series set in the county.
Hotels.com says the number searches for Roscommon in a six-week period from September to October was 185 per cent higher than they had been in the equivalent period of 2011.
Searches within Ireland, meanwhile, are up by 27 per cent during the same period.
The site has attributed the surge to the popularity of ‘Moone Boy’, O’Dowd’s semi-autobiographical series about life growing up in the county.
The Boyle native stars in the show as the imaginary friend of the 11-year-old protagonist Martin Moone, played by David Rawle, as well as co-writing the series.
The series has performed strongly on TV, winning almost 700,000 viewers for its debut episode.
“It’s not uncommon for TV programmes or films to help boost a destination’s popularity,” said Kate Hopcraft of Hotels.com.
“We have seen this happen before with films such as Sex and the City, Mamma Mia and even TV programmes such as The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea.
“Moone Boy has been really well received in the UK and Ireland so it’s great to see that this seems to be having a knock-on effect for tourism in the county.”
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Gardai believe it was the INLA who thought, incorrectly, he had a large sum of cash they could extort. More freedom fighters liberating Ireland one civilian murder at a time.
Charlie. Do you have any evidence to support that statement??
@Ray, it’s called Google. Now this is the best bit: You’ll be brought to newspaper reports that actually quote the Gardai. Hopefully you can find use for such technology in the deep night of your wilful ignorance.
Here you go Ray http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/exinla-man-is-prime-suspect-in-pickard-case-34762351.html
lol Charlie, that shut him up…
Darren, the article you link to specifically states that Gardai don’t think there was any paramilitary involvement in his murder. Perhaps you could change your smug comments and stop using the murder of a man to score your tedious political points
Apologies, Darren, it was your link but Charlie’s smug comments that ground my gears. Won’t happen again, guv!
Ray the dogs on the street in South Kerry know the organisation that was involved
Charlie. Google the free library. Give’s a different slant to your’s .maybe you should read more before you call someone ignorant?
Charlie Wrex! Only people of minimal intelligence believe what’s in google as it’s only Stories from reporters (sometimes freelance)
You are an absolute nut job to even quote google as your point of reference.
So get of your computer you know all and get a life .
Back to school you dope..sorry! TROLL!!
Now if only they’d dig up the garden that Philip Cairns is supposed to be buried in.
Or the land where Mary Boyle disappeared
Awful what happend ro this family as a result of their father’s death.
why not investigate Mary Boyle as well.
Another victim of republican terrorists. It did not take long for the first what about comment to be posted in order to deflect attention away from this particular murder.
Well it didn’t take long for you to pop up even though the Gardai believe it was a criminal gang involving an ex-INLA man and not a paramilitary gang or murder. That’s why this poor man is not included under the remit of the Disappeared Commission. Stop being an oaf, Leo
Better late than never…. Right?
have your say