City launches bid to host Tall Ships Race in 2011

WATERFORD is today officially launching its bid to get a multi-million euro festival back to the city in five years' time.

City Mayor Hilary Quinlan will team up with Tourism and Sports Minister John O’Donoghue this afternoon to officially launch the ‘Bring Them Back’ campaign to bring the Tall Ships Race back to Waterford and the South-East in 2011.

The event, which was a phenomenal success in Waterford last year, had far greater an impact on the region than anyone ever anticipated.

And the desire to bring the tall ships back to the city has been well documented since the success of the event in July.

At a press conference immediately after the event, the chairman of the Waterford Tall Ships Committee, Nicky Fewer, said the hosting was booked up for five years but certainly a bid would be made to bring it back to Waterford after that period.

Last month, the city council confirmed that a formal bid was being prepared for 2011. The council said it was about to enter discussions with the Port of Waterford as well as Fáilte Ireland with a view to putting together a detailed submission for organising body, Sail Training International (STI), pitching Waterford as the destination.

City manager Conn Murray was one of those who did Trojan work before, during and after the event. “Last year proved that, when challenged, Waterford was capable of hosting a major international event that attracted some 450,000 people to our city and the Suir Estuary over four days.

“Building forward on this, we have maintained close contact with Sail Training International and in conjunction with our partners, we are now preparing to work on a detailed submission to them setting out our case for hosting the 2011 event,” he said.

The council has already had discussions with Sail Training International and a delegation including Mayor Hilary Quinlan, the city manager and Nicky Fewer, made an outline case for Waterford at the body’s conference late last year.