Ireland has started a year long tourism drive to bring descendants of Ireland for a visit to their motherland. On a voyage from Liverpool, England a ship carried descendants of Irish emigrants to Ireland and welcomed them with a banner in Dublin that said, "Welcome to Our Gathering," reported the Associated Press.
"Bring them home. Treat them well. The Gathering is 'Project Ireland'. Do your bit," Prime Minister Enda Kenny said when the initiative was launched earlier this year.
Throughout Ireland towns have had numerous events. Cultural events include the Galway Arts Festival, the Cork Jazz Festival and the Dingle Tradfest which are all incorporating the "gathering programs."
"Highlights include flagship events like a July 21 Riverdance extravaganza, in which 2,013 master dancers are expected to kick up their heels along the banks of Dublin's River Liffey and attempt to break the world record for step-dancing. The last record was set in Nashville with 632 dancers in 2011," reported The AP.
AP reported that tourism officials say the goal is to utilize the estimated 70 million people who say they are of Irish descent around the world and bring at least 350,000 tourists home.
It seems to be working. The AP reported that a group of London ex-pats organized a bike ride from London's Trafalgar Square to Killorglin, County Kerry for the annual three-day Puck Fair in August. A group of Irish emigrants living in Toronto also organized a club there to play camogie which is the sport of women's hurling and are returning to the international camogie gathering in the end of July in Croke Park in Dublin.
"To come home and play in Croke Park is like a dream come true," said camogie player Marie O'Riordan, who emigrated to Toronto from Cork in 2009, reported the AP. "It's a fantastic way for emigrants like us to keep the connection and be part of something positive for our country."
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