This article is from page 14 of the 2006-02-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A DOCUMENTARY shot secretly on a tour bus in the Burren last Summer, received its world premier at the Burren Spring Conference in the Ballyvaughan School of Art over the weekend.
The documentary, entitled
, was shot by the Director of the NUI, Galway Huston School of Film, Rod Stoneman. It takes an undercover look at the Burren as seen through the eyes of the package tourist.
It raised a number of questions about the quality of products on offer in the Burren, the nature of mass tourism itself and the effects that this form of tourism had on an area like the Burren.
“The first thing that struck me was that the tour guides had a more substantive and well formed knowledge than I had expected,” said Mr Stoneman. “I had thought that there would be far more anecdotal but they did have some good clear information.”
The documentary follows a tour bus through Kinvara, Ballyvaughan, Fanore and Doolin before making its first stop at the Cliffs of Moher. The tour then takes the tourists to the Poulnabrone Dolmen before finishing up at the Ailwee Caves.
“I was really surprised that the tourists arrive here with very little knowledge of the area and without any real sense of where they are,” continued Mr Stoneman. “Despite the speed of their tour, they do seem to get a feel of the area.”
The documentary prompted lively debate at the Burren College when it was shown on Saturday afternoon. A large crowd, including three local tour guides, discussed the impact that large-scale tourism had on the area and whether the industry should be subject to greater regulation.
One of the documentary’s comments came from an Australian tourist at the Cliffs of Moher. When asked about the effects of visitors, she replied, “just look at what is going on out there”, referring to the massive construction work involved in the Cliffs of Moher Interpretative Centre.
There are no plans currently in place to bring the documentary to a wider audience. Stoneman has had success in the past as executive producer of the multi award winning documentary, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” as well as numerous feature film and shorts.