Middle Eastern visitors to next year’s Volvo Ocean Race Stopover in Galway will be treated to a sneak preview of what’s on offer in the city.
A crew from Abu Dhabi TV have been in Galway recently capturing footage for Al Mashaweer, an Arabic language travel programme.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, broke new ground for the Volvo Ocean Race when it was onfirmed as the first Middle East stopover in the history of the event. The Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team is led by Ian Walker, who was Ireland’s skipper in the 2008/9 event, and he is being joined by Irish sailor Justin Slattery who was the helmsman on the Green Dragon.
Abu Dhabi TV was invited to Galway by Tourism Ireland in Dubai in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, which has provided funds to Volvo to allow Galway to stage the race homecoming next July.
The programme, which will air in mid-June, will feature footage of Galway city including Thomas Dillon’s Claddagh Gold shop on Quay Street and a knitting demonstration at Ó Máilles on High Street. It will also showcase the Galway Market and the farmers’ market in Moycullen. The crew also filmed at Cnoc Suain in Spiddal.
Abu Dhabi TV is broadcast in Abu Dhabi and around the other GCC states, as well as in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
The Volvo Ocean Race leaves Alicante in Spain in November, taking a route through Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya in China, Auckland, Brazil, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient before finishing in Galway.
