Fáilte Ireland Wild Atlantic Way is proud to announce its continued sponsorship of the ‘Best West Cork Wild Atlantic Way Tourism Business’ award in the West Cork Business & Tourism Awards for 2025.

This prestigious award, established in 2019, celebrates the outstanding achievements of tourism businesses that bring the Wild Atlantic Way regional experience brand to life.

The award recognises businesses that offer authentic experiences and continue to innovate their tourism offerings to attract more visitors to West Cork throughout the year and operate in a sustainable manner.

The Wild Atlantic Way was developed by Fáilte Ireland in response to the global financial crash and was officially launched in 2014.

Over the last decade, it has become a globally recognised tourism brand and has become an economic engine for the west of Ireland generating over 33,000 incremental jobs since its inception.

West Cork is an integral part of the Wild Atlantic Way offering and, the West Cork Destination and Experience Development Plan (DEDP) provides the vision and direction for the development and promotion of West Cork.

West Cork is a leading national outdoor activity destination through the quality of its outdoor trails and on-water experiences.

It has also become Ireland’s premier food-intourism destination where sustainably and locally sourced food is synonymous with a world-class visitor experience.

As well as its awe-inspiring landscapes and outdoor experiences, West Cork is home to many amazing and award-winning restaurants as well as vibrant farmers’ markets, festivals, crafts experiences, organic eateries, cool cafés and cosy pubs.

The West Cork DEDP plan focuses on promoting these unique features and growing its market share through the delivery of priority projects and hero experiences that seek to maximise the key strengths of the area.

An industry led Implementation Group guides the delivery of the plan, supported by dedicated sectoral subgroups focused on two of the destinations strongest assets: Food in Tourism and Outdoor Activities.

Each subgroup has developed detailed action plans that are already in implementation, shaping the future of these sectors and strengthening West Cork’s position as a leader in both.

A dedicated Marketing Subgroup has also been established to ensure that the region’s strengths continue to be showcased to both domestic and international audiences.

Working closely with Pure Cork, Discover Ireland and Tourism Ireland, the subgroup has been instrumental in amplifying West Cork’s profile as a premier destination for exceptional food experiences and world-class outdoor activities.

The subgroup will also be working to highlight the range of festivals, crafts experiences and the diverse range of high-quality accommodation available across the destination including the West Cork islands and peninsulas. 

This collaborative approach has already delivered significant results.

Over the past year alone, Fáilte Ireland and Pure Cork partnered to produce a suite of new videos and imagery that capture the essence of the region—its landscapes, its people, its food culture, and its adventure offering.

The Fáilte Ireland/Pure Cork partnership also developed new visitor itineraries that highlight standout food and outdoor activity experiences, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of West Cork’s Gaeltacht communities, and promoting sustainable ways to explore the region using public transport options such as Local Link, Bus Éireann, private operators and local ferry services.

These initiatives target both domestic and international visitors, encouraging longer stays, higher spending, and off-peak visits.

This Best West Cork Wild Atlantic Way Tourism Business’ award recognises the achievements of a tourism business that strives to embody the Wild Atlantic Way brand.

This year’s recipient of the award is Atlantic Whale and Wildlife Tours based in Courtmacsherry, West Cork.  

Atlantic Whale & Wildlife Tours has been operating for almost 40 years, built on decades of seafaring experience by founders Mark and Patricia and their team. 

Operating year-round from both Courtmacsherry and Kinsale, their wildlife watching tours consistently bring guests close to humpback, fin, and minke whales, along with common dolphins, basking sharks, and harbour porpoises, thanks to the rich ecosystems off Cork’s coast.

The business also runs family fishing trips, boat hire, and angling trips.

The team at Atlantic Whale and Wildlife tours pride themselves on consistently excellent wildlife encounters, high standards of safety and comfort, outstanding customer service, and prime geographic positioning—resulting in stellar reviews and a strong reputation.

They launched their newest vessel, The Lady Catherine in 2024, enhancing passenger comfort and capacity on their wildlife tours. 

These tours are fun, informative and engaging and sustainability is at the heart of everything they do - their commitment to preserving the natural beauty and diversity of the marine environment guides every aspect of their operations. 

It’s clear from the minute you step on board an Atlantic Whale & Wildlife tour that the crew love what they do and absolutely love showcasing what West Cork and the Wild Atlantic Way has to offer visitors.

As one of the premier wildlife and tourism experiences in Ireland, they are worthy winners of this prestigious award.

A FAMILY-run maritime tourism business operating successfully for more than four decades has been named West Cork Wild Atlantic Way Tourism Business of the Year.

Atlantic Whale & Wildlife Tours and Courtmacsherry Angling, founded in 1979 by Courtmacsherry native Mark Gannon, has grown from a single fishing boat into one of West Cork’s best-known marine tourism operators.

Mark’s introduction to life on the water began at just 12 years of age, spending his summers working on local  fishing and angling boats. While employed as a fleet maintenance technician with the RNLI, he invested in his first vessel, The Mark Anthony, in 1979 — a decision that would shape the next 40 years of his life.

Working alongside his wife Trish, Mark later went full-time in the business, expanding the fleet with two brand new vessels — The Lady Louise, named after their daughter, and The Lady Patricia, named in Trish’s honour.

In 2024, the company further expanded with the addition of a new state-of-the-art vessel, The Lady Catherine. The purpose-built passenger  ship is licensed to carry 40 passengers, and operates between Courtmacsherry and Kinsale. This vessel  is used exclusively for whale watching tours, which run twice daily during the tourist season.

Today, the business employs up to six people during the peak summer months, offering a wide range of marine experiences including sea angling charters, maritime excursions, whale and wildlife watching tours, and self-drive boat hire.

‘We run the business all year round,’ said Mark. ‘If the weather is good, people want to get out on the water regardless of the time of year. We were lucky over the Christmas holidays and managed to get out a few days — it was brilliant.’

Mark described the Wild Atlantic Way initiative as ‘the icing on the cake’ for coastal communities like Courtmacsherry.

‘It has helped drive a real resurgence in maritime tourism, which in 2024 was worth €1.2 billion to the Irish economy. What’s particularly important is that it’s sustainable. This is the type of industry that needs to be nurtured — it leaves little to no carbon footprint.’

The wider economic impact of marine tourism is also significant.

‘The knock-on effects are huge. People come for our tours and angling charters and then stay and eat locally, supporting hotels, pubs, cafés and restaurants. It benefits local businesses and everyone in the community.’

A major draw for visitors is Boomerang, one of Europe’s most documented humpback whales, who has been a regular visitor to West Cork waters for over 20 years.

‘People will book tours just in the hope of seeing him,’ said Trish. “When word gets out that he’s around, our phones are hopping.’

One of the couple’s favourite aspects of the business is meeting people from all over the world.

‘Last summer, around 75% of our passengers were international visitors. What’s lovely is that whale watching is something all generations can enjoy together, making it a great option for families. Seeing children light up when dolphins interact with the boat never gets old,’ said Mark. 

Mark and Trish said they were thrilled to receive the West Cork Wild Atlantic Way Tourism Business of the Year award.

‘It means an awful lot to us,’ said Mark. ‘It really makes all the hard work worthwhile.’