Summer School publicity ‘worth €20m’ to town
CATHAOIRLEACH Cllr Willie Fitzharris said publicity from the Kennedy Summer School is worth the equivalent of €20m in advertising to New Ross.
District Manager Sinead Casey congratulated everyone involved in the summer school. She said: ‘ The festival continues to go from strength to strength with events sold out weeks in advance. The weekend was a fantastic opportunity to showcase New Ross to national and international visitors. The festival and town received major local national and media coverage in all media forms. RTE was on location for the weekend and filmed a full Nationwide programme on New Ross.’
Cathaoirleach Cllr Willie Fitzharris said the summer school is now recognised as a major event in the national and international cultural calendar. He said €20m wouldn’t buy the town the kind of exposure it has received. ‘Even yesterday morning Ryan Tubridy spoke about it again and about the great community spirit in the town and the way the people demonstrated pride in it. The event was supremely run. We should write a letter to the organisers to this effect.’
Cllr Larry O’Brien congratulated Cllr Fitzharris as chairman of the JFK Trust, for his work on the project. He said: ‘I don’t think we know or realise how big it is.’
Cllr Fitzharris said no speaker was paid to come to New Ross. ‘People are asking to come now. I was in the Kennedy Homestead and Bob Schum and his wife were both going around with tears in their eyes overcome with the esteem in which the Kennedy family is held here in New Ross, All these ambassadors are going away from the summer school; the publicity you couldn’t buy with a cheque for €20m. It’s unique and it’s very important and most of the events were packed out.’
He thanked the volunteers who ferried the speakers around the town. District Director Eamonn Hore said: ‘ The whole of RTE was camped down here and Nationwide was shooting the town. Pat Kenny was broadcasting from the Dunbrody Visitor Centre. They were universally, hugely positive about New Ross.’
He said a whole host of former ministers, a former Taoiseach (Bertie Ahern), and sitting TDs attended.
‘I want to pay a special tribute to the chairman. It was an absolutely fantastic event of national and international prominence. It has been phenomenal and I want to acknowledge the work of Noel Whelan, Karen O’Connor and Willie Kielthy.’
Ms Casey said it was even joked on the Satur- day night that the RTE canteen had moved to an establishment in New Ross opposite the theatre.
The filming of an entire Nationwide episode on New Ross was another huge positive for the town, she said.
‘Our director and chairman were interviewed and presenter Anne Cashin, who has travelled the length and breadth of the country, said the town was extremely pretty and clean. She was full of praise for the summer school also.’
Ms Casey thanked Executive Engineer Abraham Dunne and all the council staff who have worked hard to improve the appearance of the town.
Reflecting on the festival she said three quarters of the events were fully occupied. ‘ The summer school is an example of how, by working together, just how successful something can be.’
She thanked the councillors for allocating some of their funding allowances to the festival, which, she said, was a proven success for the town.