#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - President Michael D Higgins has confirmed he will visit Galway during the finale of the Volvo Ocean Race, Galway Bay FM reports.
The President is no stranger to maritime affairs, as earlier this year he was named as the sole patron of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
President Higgins was also on hand for the last stopover in Galway in 2009, which attracted thousands of visitors to the City of the Tribes.
This summer's Galway stopover, which is less than six weeks away, is expected to bring 50,000 additional tourists to the West of Ireland and generate as much as €65 million for the economy.
Events to promote the eight-day festival are well underway, with Galway City Mayor Hildegarde Naughton 'going overboard' in Miami last week ahead of the sixth leg of the race from Florida to Portugal.
Efforts are also being made to give Galway's beaches a spring clean, as reported yesterday on Afloat.ie.
