Cork features in TV series marking 10 years of Wild Atlantic Way 

As tourism initiatives go, the Wild Atlantic Way must be right up there as one of the finest.

It was only launched a decade ago, but swiftly caught on in the imagination of both Irish people and visitors alike.

This swathe of beautiful coastal terrain running the western length of the country is celebrated in a three special episode of Nationwide next week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

In the final episode on RTÉ1 on Friday, November 29, at 7pm, presenter Anne Cassin heads to Kinsale, the picturesque County Cork town which is the finishing point on the Wild Atlantic Way - or of course the starting point if you choose to begin your journey in the Real Capital!

Anne hears how visitor numbers have soared here due to the Wild Atlantic Way concept launched ten years ago.

In Kinsale and along the Cork coast, many small enterprises have started like Gormú Eco-Adventures, which has thrived thanks to the increased tourism in the area.

Reporter Reem El-Hassany meets the founders, who combine eBike tours with Irish folklore, to offer visitors a unique way to explore the Wild Atlantic Way.

The celebration of the tenth anniversary starts on Monday’s episode of Nationwide, when reporter Niall Martin visit Clifden, a charming town located between the Twelve Bens mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean.

Presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh is in Galway city, what many consider the halfway point on the Wild Atlantic Way, and hears all about the impact of this iconic coastal route there.

Reporter Zainab Boladale heads to the Gaeltacht community of Carna, where she finds out how its not just visitors who love the Wild Atlantic Way, as she speaks with members of Carna Walking Club, a group passionate about their coastal surroundings and preserving the Irish language.

In the second episode on Wednesday, Bláthnaid drops in on Shannon Airport, the international gateway airport on the route, and meets Mary Considine, CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, to find out how the airport has developed in lockstep with the Wild Atlantic Way over the last decade.

At one of the major tourist attractions in Clare, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Bláthnaid meets Margaret Jenkins of Fáilte Ireland to get an overview of progress and future plans for the Wild Atlantic Way in the Mid-West.

Nationwide also visits some family businesses and attractions that have grown and thrived on the route, from Hazel Mountain Chocolate and Caherconnell Stone Fort and Sheepdogs in the Burren in North Clare, to the Loop Head Lighthouse.