Tech: Top Travel Apps To Get

Nowadays, it's gone past logging into your account on an airline website. With updated features on phones becoming a regular thing and with more apps coming about, better travel and tourism apps are becoming so much more popular. Price Comparison Apps, Review Apps and Travel Planner Apps are a big market for almost all market segments.
In this post, I will list some of the more popular apps out there, recommendations and a look at some

other travel apps that may not be as popular. Apps you should have when travelling and maybe some you wouldn't think of checking.
Before travelling anywhere, people look at online reviews of destinations to see if people enjoyed themselves, if the local area is nice, the hotels are of good quality etc. And to get there, the days of getting a travel agent to do the work for you has expired and now it is down to apps like Skyscanner to find good deals at reasonable prices. 
Here are a few popular travel apps widely used and some you may need:

• TripAdvisor- TripAdvisor is a godsend for travelers. Before going anywhere and booking a hostel, most people check out TripAdvisor to see what rating, review and state their hostel or hotel are in, what services are provided etc. It also lets you review the restaurants, hotels and places you visited on your travels, which I recommend doing, as you could let others know your experiences.
• Yelp: Yelp is an oldie but goodie. Checking out stores and different places to go shopping could help you not make a mistake and spend an arm and a leg.
• Time Out: This app serves as a recommended guide for places in the city you choose to type in the search bar.
• YPlan: An app used to check out the events happening in your area, times, dates and location.
• TripIt: This app acts as a way for you to plan out every detail of your travels from flight booking, to lodging and even activities but should you be lazy, emailing plans@tripit.com will have them sort out the details for you.
• FourSquare: Another godsend app that uses your location to give you feedback from other travelers and recommendations.
  
• XE Converter: For those travelling to a country with a different currency, make sure you have a currency converter app on your phone to ensure your financial safety.
• Hotel Tonight: This may come in handy for those stuck in cities overnight and not knowing where to stay. This app works with hotels to provide overnight stays in places with vacancies.
• TripNLive: An app that lets you see, record and post videos as reviews of hotel rooms, restaurants, the destinations, activities etc.

These apps are what are recommended for those travelling and ones I'd recommend checking out. But then comes the booking element (Flight/Accommodation) the travels and apps that help with that are as follows:

• Skyscanner: This app scans a number of different airline sites to find you the best deals on your flights.
• Trivago: Trivago looks and works with hotels to find you offers on hotels
• HostelWorld: If hotels aren't your thing, hostelworld finds the best deals on hostels in your area.
• Airbnb: With 600,000+ listings, no matter what type of accommodation you're after, Airbnb are sure to have it!

*Pic Credit: going-places.tv, tourmag.com*

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Be sure to check out these apps and see if they help you with your travels. An important aspect of travelings is sharing experiences and doing so on apps, can help another person have a similar experience. 

Hope this post helped!

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Insight: Friends of Sligo Gaol

In Ireland, old prisons, used to house famous political prisoners and contain historical momentos are becoming increasingly popular tourist destinations across Ireland. International Tourists love Irish architecture. The history surrounding places draws even more tourists to find out how Ireland today was shaped

and who paved the way. For domestic tourists, the Irish people want a real look at the history of their country and especially with the 1916 Rising Celebrations happening nationwide, the prisons were highlighted significantly and people understood that the time in prison helped define characters such as Michael Collins and Countess Markieviez.
Prisons that are of significant attention in Ireland are Kilmainham, which hosts high historic value due to the fact that the leaders of the 1916 Rising and other famed revolutionaries were imprisoned within it's walls, and Cork County Jail which held Countess Markieviez herself. These prisons have managed to stand the test of time due to increased marketing and government implementation, however, one Gaol (Irish Jail) that has been neglected, unappreciated but certainly holds major historic and architectural significance is Sligo Gaol.
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Friends of Sligo Gaol was established as non-profit group of volunteers who share a common passion that is the heritage, history and preservation of Sligo Gaol. The group was established by Sligo local, Tamlyn McHugh, an archaeologist with a keen interest in the

stories and history of the Gaol, both told and untold. 
The group had one main aim to begin with: The awareness and conservation of Sligo Gaol. To date, only in or around 50% of the ground remains as in the mid-20th Century, the local government demolished a considerable amount of cells, the women's prison and cemented over the courtyard in which the prisoners would exercise. This aim then developed into the greater goal, which spoke to a wider audience of people, to re-open the Gaol as a tourist attraction, to take a look around at where the political prisoners were kept, the extant graffiti on the walls and embrace the somber atmosphere when you walk the halls of the abandoned prison.
"The Friends of Sligo Gaol are an independent, volunteer body committed to working in partnership with Sligo County Council, and other stakeholders, in achieving these aims and supporting the ongoing conservation work of the Gaol building complex."  is the extract taken from the Friends of Sligo Gaol website- http://www.sligogaol.ie/ which shows the level of commitment that is being displayed.
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I, myself, have had the pleasure of working with the Friends of Sligo Gaol group on two of their events to raise awareness for the group, get people talking about the Gaol and get community support for a worthy aim. The events undertaken by the Friends of Sligo Gaol group were:

• Sligo Jail and Bail: This event was an incredibly innovative idea for an event that involved an incredible amount of community participation and support. The process of the event was to
  
  "Charge" well-known members of Sligo Town for outrageous crimes and from them, in turn, raise their own bail and to pass on the information of the event to friends and customers. The Friends of Sligo Gaol group set up a phenomenal courtroom display, including a jail cell, mugshot wall and a judge. The event ran throughout the day on a Saturday afternoon, in which I helped out as a volunteer (ducking out for a job interview and coming back in the space of 30 minutes like a superhero!) The event was a phenomenal success. The target to be met was €1,200 but through massive local interest and support, a massive €4,500, to which the Friends of Sligo Gaol are appreciative.
• The next event ventured by the Friends of Sligo Gaol group, that I had the honour of being involved in, was the Women of Sligo Gaol conference and Gaol Tour event. The event was selected to ticket holders, for those interested in the event and the Gaol, which received a lot of interest. The event itself consisted of key note speakers, Historian Gary Burke, Author Liz Gillis and members of the Sligo Heritage Office. The conference delved into the background of women in the Gaol of Sligo at the time, what one had to do to get thrown in a cell and the conditions of the North West at the time, which then developed into the role women has in the 1916 rising, one of Ireland's
  
  most prominent historic events. Following the conclusion of the conference and panel discussion, a round of tours inside the Gaol commenced, showing how harrowing it felt inside, how it looked after almost 50 years of closure and highlight the importance of the work that Friends of Sligo Gaol are doing but mostly to get a real feel for the history. The tour included the surprise vocals of Sligo girl vocal group, Bua, who used the natural acoustics to chill their audience. This event, like the one previous, was a massive success to which FoSG are pleased.

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The work that FoSG (Friends of Sligo Gaol, abbreviation) are doing is not only important for historical purposes but is could be extremely instrumental in the development of Sligo Tourism and give a new iconic, significant outlook to the town.

To support Friends of Sligo Gaol, visit their website: http://www.sligogaol.ie/

Their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SligoGaol/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SligoGaol

Or contact them via email: info@sligogaol.ie

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Support FoSG on their mission to restore a piece of Irish History
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Travel Tips: Value for Flights - Top 4 Tips

Flights are usually peoples preferred choice of transport. And with the improvements made in technology and flights themselves, flying from place to place really connects the world in a quick way and literally gives the people the world in a matter of hours. 
Initially, flying way developed for people of a certain class and society level but in 70 or so years, nobody would think twice about going to an airline website

and booking a weekend away. The development of airlines across the world, each with different niche offerings, create a wide variety of options for travelers.
Now, if you're like me, a student who can hardly rub two pennies together but love to get out and travel and fear checking airline websites with the cost of the costs etc. Even for families, trying to get the best deal and value for money can always be a contributing factor i.e, Does the airline provide car rental partnership deals, does it have deals on accommodation or is it actually cost effective? Things like this are what people generally look for when travelling but going from one place to another, the first thing that needs attention is the method of getting there! The popularity of flying from place to place outweighs the likes of rail, sea and road transport in terms of travel, so here are some tips on getting the best deal for your travels and hopefully will help you out:

• 1) Price Comparison Websites: Going to an airline's website, their main aim is to fill the seats and fill their pockets, generally. You may think "Dublin to Amsterdam €120? Forget it" which will throw you off, not alone the airline but even travelling. To minimize this impact of ticket costs, price comparison websites look through many airlines and try to find the best deal for your travels and try to get the best offer for your flexibility requirements. Being 100% flexible, it would be easy to book the cheapest flight they have but these sites put in the work also for those who aren't as flexible and do their best to accommodate. Some of the top 5 best comparison sites I've either used or heard good things about: 
• Skyscanner- http://www.skyscanner.ie/
• Kayak- https://www.kayak.com/
• Momondo- http://www.momondo.ie/
• Hipmunk- https://www.hipmunk.com/
• Airfarewatchdog- http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/

• 2) BUDGET AIRLINES: Airlines like Southwest, Sun Country Airlines, easyjet and Ryanair offer some good deals with certain value for money but another point can be made out of awareness for when to buy the ticket. If you buy in peak buying time, you could pay an arm and a leg. Be sure to follow airlines on social media as if the tickets to some destinations aren't selling, the airline may put on a flash sale or give limited discount time or may even raffle away tickets. Calling up these airlines before booking to
  
  find out the best times to buy and bargain with them if you can, to see what deals can be made. 
• 3) Travel Blogs, Vlogs or Travel Posts: Reading what others have written about travelling to certain destinations, how they got there cheaply, if and what airline they used and what time of year they booked their flights could shape your travel and give an idea of when and how long you will travel to and what time of year is appropriate to travel there. Families travelling with kids should look into blogs to see which destination gives them best enjoyment value for money instead of focusing solely on money. Young people thinking of traveling, backpacking etc. Look at other student traveler blogs. Look at top destinations that give you the best experiences and don't disregard a place because your mates aren't going. Again, look for the best enjoyment value for money!
• 4) Travel with friends! Group booking might be cheaper! And don't be afraid to downgrade your accommodation deal for a cheaper flight either!

*Pics Credit: Not mine! +TheLifeOutside +Designmodo *

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Hope this helps you with trying to sort your own travelling plans and transport methods. All feedback welcome!

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More posts to come on other modes of transport, how to travel cheaply altogether and other cool travel and tourism tips.

Restaurant Review: Lumberjacks Woodfired Pizza - Tuam

Lumberjacks Woodfired Pizza is a new addition to the restaurant listing in Tuam and today I decided to test it out for myself and see what this new place has in comparison to other restaurants in the town.
Nationally and in other countries that aren't Italy, Pizza is seen as an indulgence kind of food, that

would be gotten as a takeout, usually. In Italy, however, the pizza is one of the main staples of their diet. Upon arriving to Italy myself, I had four homemade pizzas placed in front of me (Made from scratch), to show that Italians really REALLY love pizza.
This pizza place, the substitute for the french-named café that went before and in my opinion, is a better substitute. Walking in, you smell the fresh, out of the oven dough. You hear the (What I assume are Italian) workers shout back and forth like a real pizzeria you'd see in Italy. The place screams authentic.
The interior is very visually pleasing. The ceiling is made of a slate-like material with chalk drawn arrows, pointing you the designated areas and what the workers at these stations do, i.e Take your order at 1, make the pizza at 2 and serve your order at 3. The layout is simple and you can actually see the employee make the pizza with the toppings you have chosen. A sense of awareness and curiosity is

always in the mind of the customer at restaurant in terms of how their food is made and if it is done to a standard, and these employees certainly do it to Italian standard.
The menu is beautifully laid out in color on a chalk board, displaying the 15 different house pizzas as well as the option to create your own. Not only does this restaurant do pizzas but offer a salad option and the option for lite bites including nachos, wedges and garlic bread.
A sample of pizzas offered here are:

• Ham/Pineapple
• Gorgonzola/Pecorino/Parmesan/Mozzarella
• Parma Ham (Real italian)/Rocket/Parmesan
• 12 Hour Slow Cooked Pulled Pork/Rocket/

A couple of unique ideas I have witnessed from this pizzeria is that they use a "Guinness Dough",

how much more Irish can you get! And they do this neat idea, you bring them your favourite chocolate bar and they will "Pizza it up" for you and turn it into a calzone!

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Todays Story:

Coming back from a day of shopping, pizza seemed like the best dinner choice for me (Because who wants to cook after shopping... really?). So I considered all the pizza places in town and was reminded of Lumberjacks, which is relatively new to the town and said I'd definitely give it a try. My sister and I went and ordered two pizzas to try out and some of their Tex Mex Salsa & Cheese nachos. The pizzas we ordered were the Parma Ham/Rocket/Parmesan and the Bacon, Chicken, Ham and Pepperoni. (I also ordered a water as to not seem unhealthy. All about that life).

1. The Tex Mex Nachos: They were honestly the next best thing to Mexican nachos and Mexican salsa. They really made it tasty, the only critique is that they use less cheese but besides that it was a delightful starter and interlude for the pizza.
2. The Parma Ham/Rocket/Parmesan: My favourite pizza. They dressed a lot of rocket on top which maybe was a bit too much but it was visually beautiful and wasn't long being inhaled. Not eaten, inhaled. The Parma ham was amazing. It tasted just like Italian parma ham and maybe was the real deal, I couldn't be sure but was so good!
3. The Bacon, Chicken, Ham and Pepperoni: My least favourite of the three things ordered. The pizza was a bit too thin. It was almost wafer thin. But the flavors on top, faultless. It wasn't your usual Pepperoni pizza, swimming in grease. It has the right amount of oil and seasoning.

Probably my top pizza place in Ireland right now, as it was as close to real Italian pizza that I've tried since being in Italy. The nachos were awesome, which I would buy as a snack any day of the week. The layout of the place was impressive and the stone pizza fire was a real cool feature. 

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Out of 10, I'd give a solid 8.5 mostly due to one pizza being not quite as good as the other, which maybe a bit steep but it's all about consistency.
*Pic Credit: Lumberjacks Facebook Page*

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My first restaurant/food review! All feedback welcome! 

Bucket List: Andorra

Andorra is a principality located in the midst of the Pyrenees Mountain range stretching across the border of France and Spain. 
Quick History Lesson: The history of Andorra stretches a long way back, with it's first triumph of independence was from Aragon in 1278 and it's second triumph of independence from the French

Empire in 1814. However, the modern day Principality that exists in Andorra came about in 1278 and is known as a principality with a monarchy headed by Co-Princes, the Bishop of Urgell (Spain) and Francois Hollande (President of France). Andorra is also ranked as Europe's sixth smallest nation with an 85,000 people population but also contains Andorra La Vella, the capital of Andorra but also Europe's highest capital.

*PHOTO CREDIT: Investwithandorra.com*

Reasons I/Anyone should go to Andorra:

• Although Tourism is the biggest industry in Andorra, it didn't recognize foreign visitors inside it's borders until the mid/late 20th Century which means that it is a relatively new country to explore and scenery that may not be published on your generic postcards!
• Weather: It is said that Andorra gets around 300 days of sunshine annually, which means for anyone as fair skinned as I am, would be burned in 1 day! But it gives good premise to not be
  
  indoors and to be outside exploring the area and finding unique places.
• Scenery: Being in the midst of the Pyrenees mountain range, amazing views of the mountains, France, Spain and maybe even the Mediterranean coast would provide the perfect backdrop for exploration, hiking, days out and eating outdoors.
• Skiing: I've never skied before, and from what I hear, it sounds like a painful but enjoyable experience to start learning. Andorra, being up high in the mountain range, would get plenty of snowfall to have enough grounds for skiing and snowboarding, so before tackling the Alps or anything like that, it'd be cool to check out the slopes of Andorra.
• Duty Free: Products sold in Andorra are tax free, so take note shoppers!
• Proximity to Spain and France: I've never been to France (Just yet) but it is certainly a must-go travel destination for anyone! Spain is an amazing country to travel to and is so unique in it's own right. So being within proximity to both would be good enough reason to travel!
• Hiking:With the great backgrounds and the many historic buildings and trails to go on i.e Tristaina Lake Trail that seems to have beautiful views and are enriching trails to walk.
• Museu del Tabac: I'm not a smoker but I've never heard of a museum dedicated to tobacco which really seems like an interesting place to visit!

What do you guys think of Andorra? Have you been to Andorra? Have you considered travelling here?

 Leave a comment!

Itinerary: Tuam

1 Getting There and Getting Around

Tuam is located on the west of Ireland in County Galway. It has a bus route the goes and comes to Ireland West Airport Knock, an International Airport servicing Ireland, Britain, Portugal, Spain and Italy. It also has a bus link to and from Galway. Galway is accessible to Ireland’s biggest airports Shannon and Dublin, which serve a range of destinations including a majority of Europe and USA. From Galway, a bus to Tuam is close to the Coach Station, at the edge of Eyre Square.

In Tuam, pedestrian transport is mostly used as most places aren’t far to get to but a number of taxi services are in the town if walking isn’t an option.

Budget: It all depends on the activities and where you go to. If you plan on using Tuam as a base to travel elsewhere, it would be wise to have a budget of 50-75 euro daily, depending on the trip.

2 Where to Stay

There are two main hotels in Tuam, both of which offer Mid-week and B&B deals suitable for getaways and weekend breaks:

·         The Correlea Court Hotel

·         The Ard Ri House Hotel

Both hotels offer live evening entertainment, charitable functions and other amenities which appeal to many holidayers!

Besides the two hotels, a couple of B&B’s within Tuam and on the road to Galway that offer reasonable rates for weekend and getaway breaks

3 Things to Do

Tuam is a historic town with a lot of historical importance throughout. A lot of sites contain a lot of history but here are the things to do:

•          Walk Knockma- Knockma is a site of rumoured mythical relevance as it is said that one of the most famous women in Irish legend, Queen Maeve, the Queen of Connaught is buried at the top of the hill along with King Fionbharr, the king of the Connaught Faeiries. The walk is a nice scenic view ad can be seen as a nature trail with a few stone monuments scattered around the walk.
•         Historic/Religious Monuments: A High Cross constructed in 1152 exists in St. Mary Protestant Cathedral in the town which is a cathedral which, in itself was first in construction in the 9^th Century. The Cathedral of the Assumption in Tuam was built in 1832 and has some unique busts of saints and a large alter. Kilbannon Monastic Site sits just outside the town and also has nice surrounding scenic views

There is recreational things to do also:

•       Golf- An 18 hole golf course sits just outside the town and offers a bar onsite and views of the countryside.
•       Day trips to Galway: Galway is a beautiful city to visit if staying in town and offers so much which will be discussed in more detail in a later post. But Galway would be a highly recommended spot for tourists to visit.

4 Places to Eat and Drink

Tuam has a wide variety of bars and restaurants to dine in, including the restaurants of the two hotels mentioned earlier. For breakfast, here are some nice places to eat:

·         Krugars Bar- The Correlea Court Hotel

·         The Palace Restaurant – Located on the Grounds of SuperValu

·         Dick Dowlings Bar- The Ard Ri House Hotel

And for lunch, these places I’d recommend for good food at good prices:

·         The Abbey Tavern- On the Square

·         The Galway Roast- On the Square

·         The News Café- On the Square

·         Pedro’s Café- Tuam Shopping Centre

And for dinner, here are some restaurants that are recommended with good prices and food:

·         La Vissuta (Italian Cuisine)- High Street

·         Bia Bella (Irish/Italian Cuisine)- End of High Street

·         Lumberjacks- Tuam Shopping Centre Car Park

·         Bonsai (Asian Food)- Above Lumberjacks

·         Santoori (Indian)- Egan’s Lane

In Tuam, live music is the source of entertainment within pubs with local talent, here are a few bars recommended:

·         The Brogue Bar- On the Square

·         Harpy’s Bar- Tullinadaly Hill

·         The Abbey Tavern- On the Square

·         Canavans Bar- High Street

·         Duddy’s Bar- Kilbannon

·         Krugers Bar- The Correlea Court Hotel

5 Why Tuam?

As said in the last two posts on Tuam, it’s a small town but it has potential to have a lot more to it. And I feel like the more people come to it and talk about it, as I’ve said, to use as a base to travel elsewhere, it could become a better town for tourists and better place for locals also. It may be a biased thing to say that Tuam could benefit but in all reality, other towns could use Tuam as an example to boost their own tourism and get more people coming and and staying.

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1.       In A small town, what kind of recommendations would you guys make to improve tourism?

2.       What kind of places do you like to see to make a place attractive?

Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Tuam: Top 4 Attracting Things

Tuam is a town in County Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. It's not incredibly big by any means and one would get incredibly annoyed by how much time seems to slow down in a town that has the reputation as the "fastest town in Ireland". For many, it doesn't come across as a tourist destination, and I can sort of agree with that statement to an extent. Tuam is my hometown, for those wondering where these posts are coming from, after the cool Madrid trip. Studying tourism, you notice an implied standard that towns and cities have to have before tourists even consider going there, and the reason why people don't stop in Tuam as tourists is due to it not having met the implied standard, not looking at other towns for inspiration and not having a clue how to fix it.

Being that it is my hometown, I will try to do it justice in my posts to show that it can be a place people could visit, both domestically and internationally.
People in Tuam, myself included, would benefit greatly from a boost in tourism and this isn't ignoring all the other towns in Ireland or the world that lack tourists, it's just an opinion based on my own experience. I've grown up in Tuam and see "Up and coming" businesses start off well. Then between the 6 and 12 month mark, just flounder and end up closing show. And the main reason? Not enough people stopping in the town
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Here are my top reasons to travel to and for stopping in Tuam:

1) History: Tuam has a lot of history around it. If you walk through the town, you will see monuments, old buildings and historic objects i.e John Wayne stopped in Tuam during the filming of "The Quiet Man" to buy a cap and a plaque outside the store still exists. Tuam is one of the Irish towns to have two Cathedrals, one catholic and one protestant. Tuam, as rumors suggest, was build through religious means by St. Jarlath, who still has a significant name in Tuam with one of the largest schools, St. Jarlaths College, is one of the oldest schools in the country, built around 1800.

Many buildings and monuments in Tuam are dated back to previous centuries, like within the doors of the St, Mary's Cathedral stands the High Cross of Tuam which dates back to 1152 and stands within a building which began its construction in the 9th Century. As well as this, as stated in the previous post, is the Knockma peak that, legend says, Queen Maeve of Connaught is buried, For a small town, a lot seemed to happen!

2) Base for Travel: Tuam is on many bus companies stops. With direct links to Derry, Sligo, Galway and Mayo. Tuam has good road access also with upgrades being made regularly to increase number of cars and people coming through Tuam with hopes of bring those people to stop in the town. Roads directly

reach Sligo, Galway, Dublin, Limerick, the Wild Atlantic Way and other places around Ireland. Tuam has two hotels, the Correlea Court Hotel that offers Mid-Week and Weekend deals, ideal for couples and families for a getaway. The other hotel, The Ard-Ri House Hotel, which offers a B&B rate deal. Both hotels are recommended for those on a weekend getaway or mid-week getaway.

3) Sport: Sport features heavily in Tuam within Tuam. Local GAA teams, soccer, Rugby, Golf and Swimming teams bring sport glory to Tuam on a regular basis. An 18-hour golf course and a number of sports pitches exist within the town. What has become popularized in the last year or two, according to local tourist offices across Ireland is Fishing as a recreational activity. More and more people are taking up fishing as a way of relaxing. Tuam, according to avid fishers, sports rivers with good catch and nice banks that provide for a therapeutic day out. Everytime I travel home, I see more people out running, walking and cycling. Worldwide, the idea to get fit has become an epidemic and Tuam hasn't missed out. Boasting 2 gyms, a leisure centre and many fitness businesses. Now, a lot of charitable events involving marathons and half-marathons come through and/or start in Tuam, which could provide a base for Soft Adventure Tourism.

4) Festivals and Events: Four second-level schools exist in Tuam and every year, each school performs an Amateur Operatic performance of a classic musical i.e Oliver, Carousel and Grease. These shows receive annual critical acclaim and sell-out fast. I would recommend seeing one of these shows! A new Festival that has sprung up in Tuam is the Sugarbeat Music Festival. Each summer, the Festival sees talent like the Original Rudeboys, Hometown and The Stunning. The Tuam Arts Festival attracts a crowd to see the usually unusual display. A variety of live music plays in the bars across town, creating an inviting atmosphere.

To get more people to stop in Tuam means more places like Tuam, small towns can see it as a model to shape up and boost tourism. Tuam has quite a bit to offer, for small town but a lot more can be done for it to improve.

And this is just my opinion!
What do you guys think?