Cllr Murray’s statement follows on from his colleague, Cllr Ciaran McLaughlin’s recent motion which was adopted in the Town Council and called for a strategy to maximise the benefits that Buncrana will gain from the huge influx of tourists visiting our neighbours in Derry in 2013.
Cllr Murray said: “The Music Festival in Buncrana last year was a great success once again. It was a huge boost for tourism in the town and the wider area; thousands of people visited Buncrana, benefiting businesses and boosting community spirit.
“The announcement on St Patrick’s Day that the festival will go ahead this year is fantastic for Inishowen – combined with Derry’s year as City of Culture, I believe we can make this an even more successful event.
“The City of Culture committee in Derry is currently looking at the possibility of holding a ‘Fringe Festival’. I believe that Buncrana would be an ideal location.
“Derry would benefit by offering visitors the scenic sights of Inishowen, combined with the popular music festival.
“Now is the time to seize the opportunity and promote Buncrana in becoming the fringe festival. Some work has already been done in this regard after the Town Council adopted a motion submitted by my colleague Cllr Ciaran McLaughlin which called for maximum co-operation between Buncrana and the City of Culture.
“In the coming weeks, I intend to arrange a meeting of various stakeholders who would be interested in Buncrana’s bid. This would include representatives of the festival committee, of Inishowen Tourism, The City of Culture and fellow councillors.”