Aussie heart-throb goes wild out West

Native Galway oysters and the natural beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way have been showcased to more than half-a-million TV viewers Down Under.

Aussie TV heart-throb, Dr Chris Brown, teamed up with Macnas co-founder Páraic Breathnach for a special segment on the Wild Atlantic Way for Channel Ten’s lifestyle programme ‘The Living Room’, which was screened to more than 510,000 viewers last Friday evening.

It was branded “one of the world’s best driving holidays” by the presenter, who also fronts hit Australian TV shows such as ‘Bondi Vet’ and ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’.

Páraic was recommended as the ‘tour guide’ for the show and an ambassador for the West by Fáilte Ireland, and the two spent two days travelling around Galway and Clare in a Mini.

As well as taking in the views at the Cliffs of Moher and the Flaggy Shore in Clare, they also stopped off for oysters and a pint with champion shucker Michael Moran of Moran’s Oyster Cottage at the Weir in Kilcolgan and went for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean at Bearna Pier.

The footage was recorded last October, so Chris’ dip was in chilly 8°C waters.

Páraic – who is Director of Galway Arts Centre – said: “He (Chris Brown) was great craic. I put it up to him that it’s alright to talk about Bondi, but hopping into the Atlantic in October is a different thing entirely. And fair play to him, he hopped in”.

See full story and pix in this week’s Connacht Tribune.