Support the Gathering 2013

The Gathering 2013 is a year long effort to bring more tourism and business to Ireland through celebrating and promoting cultural festivals and events. It specifically aims at those with Irish links to come home and help Ireland recover from these hard times. The events range from national-scale festivals like the St. Patrick’s Day, business conferences, international sporting events, all the way to community based celebrations or even family reunions. These various events will pump millions of Euros into the Irish economy in addition to encouraging foreign business ties. The first of these national events is the “Emerald Isle Classic” college football game between two United States Universities, Notre Dame and the Naval Academy, which will be held September 1 at the Aviva Stadium. The game is expected to bring in €100 million alone.

Famous Irish personalities such as Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, Stephen Rae, Maeve Binchy, and Paul O’Connell have shown their support for The Gathering by agreeing to be ambassadors. However, you don’t have to be a celebrity to promote or create an event. Everyone is encouraged to get involved in the movement by participating in a local gathering, or organizing a gathering of their own. For example, locally NUI Maynooth are organising an event called “Culture, Crisis, and Commemoration: Ireland 1913-1916 €³ which is scheduled to take place June 22-24, 2013.

Several Irish companies and organizations are committed to The Gathering and have agreed to sponsor different events. The IRFU, GAA, Good Food Ireland, Irish Women’s Association, and Scouting Ireland are a just a few of many that have demonstrated their support. In addition, US based innovation and technology companies have agreed to participate in the movement, and support the Gathering. To kick it all off in 2013 Google, Facebook, PwC, KPMG, Disney, and Madison Square Garden Corp have all agreed to attend the Irish Technology Leadership Group conference scheduled for next January in Cork to discuss possible business ties and investments in Ireland.

Come on, get involved in any way you can for what could be a fun and exciting year showcasing Ireland!

For a full list of all Gathering events announced to date and links to their websites, visit http://www.thegatheringireland.com/festivalsandevents.aspx.

For more information regarding community based events please visit http://www.thegatheringireland.com/gatherings.aspx.