A summer job in Harvey’s Point changed the course of Deirdre McGlone’s life and set her on a path to successfully promoting Donegal as a tourist destination for the past 30 years.
She joined Richard Curran on The Business to look at the rise of County Donegal from seasonal tourist spot to National Geographic’s coolest place on the planet.
"In 1989, I came home to Donegal… I needed a summer job to earn some money and I started in Harvey’s Point.
"At that stage, it was just a small guest house with a restaurant and it went from there to a romance, to a love story, to wedding to buying the hotel to my husband Mark!"
While Deirdre and Mark have created a scenic and successful holiday destination, it wasn’t an easy road.
"I remember going out to the US let’s say 20 years ago and it was a very difficult sell to sell the destination…
"Now that it is changing, and we’re seeing now the northern half of the country very much an interesting and new, exciting destination… With the Wild Atlantic Way, this has become a great marketing hook."
Surviving the recession was a challenge but Deirdre did it the old-fashioned way, returning to core values and the hundred thousand welcomes.
"We learned actually to work smarter but not compromise on our quality or on our service… We said we would focus on what we do best and that is the very basics of hotel keeping which is the Cead Míle Fáilte.
"It costs nothing to make somebody smile or to smile yourself so I think that was really one of our tricks, that we just stayed true to the traditional values of hotel keeping and hospitality."
Deirdre says there’s a lot of scope for development in terms of new markets, for example in China, but that there must be a balance of progress and maintenance of integrity.
"If it’s properly managed and if the infrastructure and the strategic view is taken… tourism should increase and develop, everyone should benefit from it…
"That numbers don’t sort of cripple the industry and dilute what is so special, especially about Donegal. That’s part of our charm. It’s remote but not hard to get to, and it’s not overly touristy – you get locals there!"
Click the video above to listen to Deirdre’s interview on The Business.
