Thursday, August 23, 2012

Clare Prepares Calendar of Events for The Gathering

The Steering Group for ‘The Gathering Clare’ has announced it is producing a Calendar of Events for 2013 which will be used as a promotional and marketing tool for County Clare. 

Members of the public, community groups and organisations are being asked to submit details of events they plan to hold in 2013. The Calendar of Events will be profiled on the Gathering Ireland website, www.thegatheringireland.com, as well as distributed nationally and internationally.

The Gathering, which was launched by the Government in late 2011, has been described as one of the biggest tourism initiatives ever staged in Ireland and is expected to bring 325,000 extra visitors to the country. A steering group has been established in each county to coordinate local events.

Dozens of ideas have so far been put forward as possible Gathering events following on from a recent community meeting for The Gathering Clare 2013.

Plans are afoot to celebrate Daniel O’Connell, who was elected MP for Clare in Ennis on 5 July 1828, as a special ‘Gathering’ event during 2013.   If your name is ‘Clare’, then you might like to be involved in trying to set a world record for the number of Clare’s at one location.  Corofin will see the revival of the Festival of Finn next year to celebrate The Gathering. Meanwhile, the Clare Roots Society is organising a conference, entitled ‘Gathering the Scattering’, which will take place in the Temple Gate Hotel on the 6 April 2013 and will be preceded by a week-long programme of events.

Monica Meehan, Co-ordinator with the County Gathering Steering Group, stated: “We are asking all groups/individuals who are planning events next year to submit details as a Calendar of Events for 2013 is currently being prepared. This Calendar will be a key promotions and marketing tool for County Clare for the year of The Gathering.”

“We hope to focus on a number of headline events during the year and the Steering Group is continuing to work through all the suggestions that have been received to date. Our key task is to mobilise and drive The Gathering throughout the County by engaging, planning and coordinating community based activity,” Ms. Meehan added.

Anyone organising a festival or event during 2013 or planning a specific event for ‘The Gathering 2013’ is asked to submit event details by Friday 14 September 2012 to: Monica Meehan, Senior Executive Officer, Tourism & Community Development Department, Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare; Email: mmeehan@clarecoco.ie.