Civic honour proposed for 'Viking Mike' due to his role in Athlone tourism

A local councillor is proposing that the local authority hold a civic reception for Michael McDonnell, widely known as 'Viking Mike', to honour his contribution to tourism in the Athlone area over the last 25 years.

The civic reception is being proposed by Cllr John Dolan in a motion that will come before this month's meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District.

'Viking Mike' is a native of Kerry who made his home in Athlone and operates the Viking Tours company which offers cruises on the Shannon on a regular basis.

Cllr Dolan said he decided to seek the recognition for 'Viking Mike' after learning that the Viking ship itself was 100 years old this year, and that Mike had been captaining it for the last quarter-century.

"I think (Viking Tours) has been integral in the development of the tourism product in Athlone. Mike has been used in national advertising by Fáilte Ireland, and I think he is giving a unique product to this area," said Cllr Dolan.

"He offers such a range of cruises that he links Athlone with a lot of what we have to offer, both upstream and downstream.

"He is synonymous, really, with all that is good in terms of what is happening with tourism in Athlone, and I think he is well-deserving of a civic reception to recognise that," said the Fine Gael councillor.

Cllr Dolan's motion, seeking the civic reception, will come before the meeting of the Municipal District on Monday next (June 12).