Major boost as Irish airport announces new route to sunshine spot with seats for thousands of passengers this summer
HOLIDAYMAKERS are set for a major boost as a popular airport has launched a new route to a top sun spot.
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Cork Airport is now offering direct flights to Corfu
Credit: Cork Airport
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Passengers were treated to Greek-inspired dishes on the inaugural flight
Credit: Cork Airport
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The sunshine spot is very popular with Irish tourists
Credit: Alamy
Corfu is one of
It's known for its stunning architecture, delicious cuisine and historic sites.
This sunshine spot also offers lush landscapes and some of
And now Cork Airport is offering TUI Ireland flights to it this summer.
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The inaugural flight took place yesterday, marking the beginning of the seasonal route to the Greek island.
To celebrate the first departure, passengers were offered a selection of themed
Cork Airport officials made the announcement to passengers on
They said: "Yesterday we celebrated the inaugural @TUIIreland flight to Corfu.
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Most read in The Irish Sun
"To mark the first service, passengers enjoyed a selection of snacks before boarding including Greek-style salads and mini chicken gyros."
Flights to Corfu will operate every Friday from May through September.
The Greek island holiday resort right on the beach - with no sunbed hogging
This new service expands Cork Airport's summer schedule and offers holidaymakers a direct connection to one of Greece's most popular destinations.
With its UNESCO-listed Old Town, stunning
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Irish passengers can now explore the Old Fortress in Corfu Town, relax on Paleokastritsa Beach and tour the Achilleion Palace.
What's more, they can try delicious Greek cuisine, stroll through the Liston promenade and take in breathtaking views from Mount Pantokrator.
Meanwhile, Aer Lingus is considering a new flight to a major sun holiday destination known for white sand beaches and luxurious resorts.
POSSIBLE NEW AER LINGUS ROUTE
Ireland's
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The move would expand the airline's transatlantic reach as it continues to add new destinations to its network, such as Minneapolis and Nashville.
And now the well-known Mexican beach resort, Cancún, is being considered for the next big route.
If this occurs, it would be its first-ever service to connect Ireland and Mexico.
Cancún sits on Mexico's Caribbean coast and is one of the country's biggest
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It's located on the Yucatán Peninsula, known for its white-sand beaches, crystal-clear water and all-inclusive resorts.
Becoming increasingly popular as a sun holiday destination, the city is one of Mexico's most famous destinations among Irish tourists.
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Cork holidaymakers can now visit in only four hours
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Irish Post
6 hours ago
- Irish Post
Birmingham's Balti, blinders and Irish backbone
MY eyes started to bulge, beads of sweat began to drip from my brow — I realised that my nascent journey through Birmingham's cultural chicane was about to hit the wall when I started to taste a bowl of fiery Hot and Sour Soup ( Suan La Tang ) at a lively Chinatown restaurant. Sichuan peppercorns seemed to be gouging dents in my tongue deeper than West Midlands potholes. And the accompanying fried rice, with its semi-volcanic red chilli paste, was failing to douse the flames. Luckily, I was saved soon after when a very welcome Guinness helped to soothe the pain at the Queen's Arms, a friendly and traditional Art Nouveau pub in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. Another pint followed and, quite soon, normal service was (almost) restored, Well, at least I was able to talk again. Such risks are at the heart of any trip into a metropolis which is a melting pot (literally) of so many of the world's cultures and cuisines, from Irish and Caribbean to Chinese and an abundance of South Asian. The previous day, I had voyaged into the heart of the city, along with my partner and photographer Sue Mountjoy, on a hired narrowboat in which we had tucked into our own version of the Birmingham Balti, cooked previously and frozen at home. James with the Wren tied up in the heart of Birmingham Our onboard meal was based on a recipe from Shababs, one of the city's original Balti houses that refined the legendary Pakistani curry, named after its wok-shaped cooking pan, the Balti, meaning bucket in Hindi and created locally in the 1970s. It was a delightful mix of spices, but our cooking skills hardly matched those of the local aficionados who, despite so much competition from burgers, desserts, pizzas and gastro pubs, can still be found across a city which served 20,000 Balti meals a week in the boom decades between 1990 and 2010. Of course, our four-day journey along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal was as much a relaxing wander through idyllic spring countryside as an exploration of the history of the waterway itself and the countless Irish labourers who sweated, bled and died carving its 22-mile route from Alvechurch Marina to Birmingham's historic Gas Street Basin. During the golden age of canals – a relatively short period, from 1760 to 1800 – it is not known how many Irishmen flocked to regions like the West Midlands, the epicentre of the network with 160 miles of canals (more waterways than Venice, it's claimed), most of which still survive, having come through the eras of the railways, roads and now enjoying a halcyon period of leisure use. Many of these men hid their identities and remain unrecorded by history, suspicious of often aggressive authorities and locals who accused them of taking their jobs by undercutting their already meagre wages. James tries out his onboard Balti curry Yet they came in their thousands, many to handle the harvests of the great English and Scottish estates, before switching to the canals for the better pay for the punishing work of digging 20 tons of earth a day, living amid the disease and violence of nearby shanty towns, where beer and brawling were the key distractions. It was hard not to think of their sacrifices when we faced our first and only real challenge, the seemingly endless and gloomy depths of the Wast Hill Tunnel, which is over a mile and a half long and took us over 35 minutes to pass through with just our boat headlight as our guide. It took the navvies three brutally hard and very dangerous years to dig by hand and build the brickwork (from 1794-97). I wondered how many had died there and had been the legendary 'heavy diggers' of Connemara or the 'tunnel tigers' from Donegal – both had a reputation as hard workers and, even today, have renowned skills in construction, particularly subterranean work. Wast Hill proved passable safely with steel-eyed concentration and, once through, gave me a light-headed sense of achievement when that light emerged and we savoured the warmth and birdsong at the end of its shiveringly dank depths. Even so, our cruise – with not a single ancient lock to negotiate - was ideal for a beginner and for boaters who prefer a gentle cruise through a tapestry of rolling Worcestershire countryside dotted with ancient waterside cottages and elegant grey herons who stared at us intently from the towpaths, hopeful that our propellor would expose a doomed fish or two for lunch. The Wren moored in central Birmingham Our first mooring was at Bournville, the UK's 'Chocolate Town' and home to the all-embracing Cadbury business started in 1824 by Quaker John just four miles away in Birmingham's Bull Street - now American-owned and one of the world's biggest confectionery brands. We had a fascinating wander round the elegant and green Arts and Crafts model village, which the Cadbury dynasty built to provide workers with better living conditions than the cramped Victorian city. But it was in among the giggling children at the Cadbury World exhibition centre (over 500,000 visitors each year) that we saw how clever marketing and continuous change made us both obsessed as children with Dairy Milk! Next day, a small boy Ollie (3) and his great grandmother stopped to chat and look over our 49-foot steel monster, between train spotting on the adjoining Cross-City rail line into Birmingham. 'How fast does it go?' he asked. 'Not very, I'm afraid,' I replied honestly, to his clear disappointment. Yet, as we cast off with the help of our neighbouring boat owner and with advice about the big city's attractions from a young man living in his boat opposite, we appreciated that life at 4-miles-an-hour is a wellbeing antidote to today's busy world. Even as busy Birmingham crept up on us, through the fields, suburban warehouses, and graffiti-emblazoned walls of Selly Oak, Edgbaston and eventually through heart of the city's waterways, the 230-year-old canal nerve centre, Gas Street Basin, and our final mooring berth, Brindley Place, once grimy and choked with industry but now home to countless lively bars, restaurants and such attractions as the National Sea Life Centre, Legoland and the Symphony Hall. For two nights, despite being surrounded by such full-on nightlife, our mooring proved oddly peaceful, with several friendly passing dog walkers, pram-pushers and cuddling couples stopping to chat whenever we stepped out. And by foot and buses, we immersed ourselves in the many cultures of a city which has been home to the Irish for over two centuries, with over 15,000 Irish immigrations arriving by the mid 19th century, attracted by work on the canals, railways and construction industry. The Wren sails through the lengthy Wast Hill Tunnel Our trips took us to some of the city's iconic centres, including Digbeth, the spiritual home of the Irish, and the fascinating Back-to-Backs Museum, where the National Trust spent £3 million preserving three 19th century houses that show the disease, landlord cruelty and squalor those families endured. Interestingly, our guide informed us that due to the high water table locally, the poorest families had not been forced to live in the dark and windowless house cellars as so many arriving Irish had had to endure in 19th century Liverpool. After our return to Alvechurch Marina, we handed back the 'Wren' and drove to Dudley to spend the day at the remarkable Black Country Living Museum, whose grim canal yard featured in the earliest episodes of television's long-running Birmingham drama, Peaky Blinders. The dramatized Blinders on TV are a violent group of organised criminals with Irish roots (led by Tommy Shelby played by Cillian Murphy) but the truth of the fearsome late 19th and early 20th century Birmingham 'slogging' gangs is more complex. Some, grew out of the anti-Irish Catholic violence stirred up by roving preachers who encouraged widespread looting and destruction of the impoverished Irish homes around Park Street in the 1860s. For protection, many youngsters signed up to what became an early youth cult of the day. Today, the Blinders are long gone. And, despite Birmingham's recent headlines over bin strikes and council finance chaos, we enjoyed a city with great pubs and live trad music and learned how their modern-day Irish descendants are now the poets, writers, teachers, builders and musicians that have helped construct the kaleidoscopic culture of a city that can certainly float your Balti boat. FACTFILE For canal trip details visit or call 0344 984 0322 ABC Boat Hire or call 0330 333 0590 Hire prices for the 'Wren,' for example, start at £699 for a short break (three or four nights), £999 for a week. Boats range from 32ft to 70ft and can accommodate from two up to 12 people. For more information about the canal network, visit See More: Balti, Birmingham, Irish, Travel
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major blow as ANOTHER popular Ryanair flight to top destination scrapped as busy season kicks off
RYANAIR has scrapped flights to another popular European destination over "sky-high" charges. The 1 Ryanair has stopped flying to a popular Dutch airport Credit: Getty Starting October 26, Ryanair will cancel every route it operates from They have said Maastricht is one of the most pricey airports in Europe, and the charges could harm air travel connections in the Netherlands. Back in 2021, Maastricht introduced an environmental tax that charges Ryanair with nearly €30 for each passenger flying out. And this tax has been in place in other major READ MORE IN TRAVEL This has led Ryanair to also cut the number of flights - including those to Alicante, Bari, Girona, Porto, and Zadar which wipes out around 150,000 seats each year. Jason McGuinness, Ryanair's Chief Commercial Officer said the taxes at Maastricht have skyrocketed by 275 percent in just four years. He said: 'Ryanair continues to grow traffic - this year from 200m to 206m - by offering unbeatable low fares to customers across Europe at airports that have low access costs. "Maastricht's sky-high costs are damaging its connectivity. Most read in News Travel 'It is evidenced by the Airport's failure to recover its traffic post-Covid, lagging far behind the rest of Europe at just 50 per cent of pre-Covid traffic in 2024." Earlier this year, the budget airline trimmed summer flights in 'It's very important' - Ryanair's 'baggage sizers' warning to Irish passengers ahead of busy Easter break amid €75 fine Similarly, the airline pulled all flights to and from Aalborg after Denmark introduced a €6.70 passenger fee, which airlines are required to cover. Ryanair called the tax 'harmful' and said it forced them to scrap flights to major This move means Ryanair is losing around 1.7 million seats and closing several routes in Denmark. And back in September 2023, they pulled 17 routes for the winter season, blaming a 45 per cent hike in passenger charges at Dublin Airport. They also moved their special eco-friendly 'Gamechanger' planes to other airports that offer better deals. Then in September 2024, Ryanair said it would cut another 14 routes due to a passenger cap at Some of the routes cut included places like Asturias, Castellón, and Santiago in Spain, plus airports in Denmark, the UK, France, Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland. ROUTES CUT And just this week, Ryanair decided to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv due to ongoing security concerns and instability in the region. The airline had briefly resumed operations in the past month, but recent security issues due to the war in CEO Michael O'Leary stated that safety remains the top priority and that conditions in the area no longer support regular flight operations. He said: "I think we're running out of patience too with Israel… flights to and from Tel Aviv. "If they're going to keep being disrupted by these security disruptions, frankly, we'd be better off sending those aircraft somewhere else in Europe."
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
The ‘fantastic' Irish playground with slides, monkey bars, see-saws and swings and it's minutes from major city
TAKE a look at the "fantastic" Irish playground with slides, monkey bars, see-saws and swings - and it's minutes from a major city. Fairview Park Playground in 4 Fairview park is an underrated gem minutes from Dublin city centre Credit: Google Images 4 And it is home to a fantastic playground Credit: Google Images 4 The park has lots of amenities for kids of all ages Credit: Google Images The park is just ten minutes from Dublin City Centre and features open green spaces, mature trees and playground that's an ideal spot for The highlight is the play area located within the park - and it's open throughout the entire year. It's a spacious and well-equipped zone that offers hours of entertainment for It reads on The Family Edit: 'Fairview Park is a public park on Clontarf Road, Dublin 3. READ MORE IN TRAVEL 'The tidal mud flat at the mouth of Clontarf Creek is home to many birds and other wildlife and provides an excellent opportunity for children to explore and play.' One of the spot's standout features is the large wooden ship play structure, which allows kids to climb, slide and explore. Here, kids can zip, bounce, and play while parents relax nearby and enjoy the greenery of The playground caters to children of different ages and abilities, with inclusive equipment throughout. Most read in News Travel This includes a fantastic range of slides, see-saws, a wobbly boat and monkey bars. What's more, the surrounding green spaces offer even more to explore, with walking paths, sports pitches and a willow garden. The 100-year-old theme park by the beach with one of the world's oldest rollercoasters And the nearby picnic areas and tree-lined walkways are perfect for playing, strolling or enjoying a For toddlers, there's a safe area within the playground featuring sensory panels and smaller play features. The park also includes plenty of benches and shaded seating, making it an ideal place for families to spend the day. And there's even several nearby cafes in Fairview for snacks and refreshments after hours of playing. 'BEAUTIFUL PARK' Entry to the playground and park is free. The site is open all year round, and it's especially popular on weekends and during the summer months. Visitors to the playground have shared their experiences on One parent wrote: 'Lovely park for a walk,sports activities and kid play area in it. "Good grass surface to suitable for team sports like hurling, cricket.' Another commented: 'This is a beautiful park with huge fields to play hurling and football, to sit and have a picnic, and even lie down and sunbathe (when Dublin's weather allows). 'There's a basketball court, plenty of benches to sit on, a playground for kids and a lovely green area.' 4 The park is open all year round Credit: Google Images
