Images of County Mayo and the west of Ireland were beamed into the homes of some 600,000 television viewers across Sweden this week.
A TV crew – filming for a popular primetime TV programme called Ensam Mamma Söker (meaning Single Moms ) – travelled to Ireland earlier this year, as guests of Tourism Ireland, and spent five days capturing footage at various locations around Mayo and Galway. The resulting programme filmed here aired this week on Swedish TV station TV3, as part of a 12-part series.
Ensam Mamma Söker is a popular TV dating show in Sweden which follows three women in their search of love. The Irish episode featured one of the single moms and her two suitors arriving in the west of Ireland for a romantic break – along with her four children and a TV crew who recorded their adventures along the way. During their time in Mayo, they visited Westport House and Pirate Adventure Park, climbed Croagh Patrick, and cycled along the Great Western Greenway to Achill.
Caroline Brunel, Tourism Ireland’s manager for the Nordic region, said: “This is a fun and different way to showcase Mayo and some of the many things to see and do in the west of Ireland, to a huge audience of potential Swedish holidaymakers. TV and film are recognised as strong influencers for prospective holidaymakers and Tourism Ireland regularly works with TV and production companies around the world, to facilitate the making of travel and lifestyle programmes and films in Ireland. The publicity value of a TV show like this is incalculable – it is a great way of promoting our tourism product to a wide audience.”
The TV programme also featured scenes shot at a range of locations in Galway, including in the city centre, around the Spanish Arch, and in Salthill; Brigit’s Garden in Rosacahill; Ballinhinch Castle in Recess; and Delphi Mountain Resort and Adventure Centre in Leenane.
