Tourism Ireland names Co. Kerry’s Portmagee as 'Top Town' for visitors ahead of Gathering 2013 - VIDEO

The Irish government’s tourism board, Fáilte Ireland, has named Portmagee in Co. Kerry as the winner of the National Tourism Towns Awards.

The town is a small fishing village on the south westernmost tip of the Iveragh Peninsula.

As part of the award the town will receive a grant of €10,000 which will be used to further develop its tourism potential.

The judges said the sense of place in Portmagee is “palpable with its location facing Valentia Island making it unique”.

“The local community hall is a vital ingredient in the promotion of tourism and is used extensively all year round to facilitate the expectations of visitors and locals.”

The winner of Ireland's Top Town for Visitors award was selected from the following short list of ten towns in conjunction with the Tidy Towns Competition.

* Ballyvaughan, Co Clare
* Clonakilty, Co Cork
* Dundalk, Co Louth
* Ennis, Co Clare
* Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny
* Killarney, Co Kerry
* Letterkenny, Co Donegal
* Portmagee, Co Kerry
* Trim, Co Meath
* Westport, Co Mayo

The above towns were selected from a list of 46 towns which were all featured in op 100 Tidy Towns last year.

Last April Retail Excellence Ireland named Westport Co. Mayo as the best town in Ireland, after a survey of 16,000 residents and business owners in 100 locations throughout Ireland.

Read More: The Gathering 2013 unveils 1,700 events - Tourism initiative gathers support - VIDEO

Beautiful Portmagee Kerry Ireland video guide:

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Nster.com