Global Irish
Returns to Limerick and Donegal this Autumn
Festival series to harness diaspora links for the benefit of local and community tourism
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, has announced that Fáilte Ireland’s Global Irish Festival Series, which aims to encourage our diaspora to return home to visit Ireland, will once again take place along the Wild Atlantic Way in Limerick and Donegal this year.
Announcing the 2019 Global Irish Festival Series, Minister Ross said: “It’s great to see the Global Irish Festival Series return this year. The festival series enables local communities to further build upon diaspora networks and deepen connections around the world.”
Speaking about the return of the festival series, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, said: “Following the success of the initiative last year, the Global Irish Festival Series will take place again this year in Limerick and Donegal, to encourage those abroad to return home to enjoy these great festivals.”
The festival series was launched as a pilot initiative in 2018. It provides funding and support, through the relevant local authorities, for events which tap into international diaspora networks to increase overseas visitors.
Speaking about the festival series, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Festivals, Ciara Sugrue, said: “The development of tourism festivals is part of Fáilte Ireland’s strategy to encourage domestic and international visitors to visit areas outside of traditional tourism hotspots and outside of peak times, to spread the benefits of tourism to communities throughout Ireland. The Global Irish Festival Series aims to motivate diaspora, to reconnect by visiting their home county and drive visitors to less visited tourism locations, creating new economic benefits for those local communities. As these events take place in the ‘shoulder season’, they will also help tourism operators to trade for longer.”
In Limerick, the Global Irish Festival Series will support Global Limerick, featuring I.NY (Irish in New York), which runs from 12th to 20th October and explores the deep connection between Ireland and New York City and the Richard Harris International Film Festival, which takes place from 22nd to 28th October and marks the life and works of Limerick’s most famous actor. Welcoming the festival series’ return to Limerick, Pat Daly, Director of Services at Limerick City and County Council, said: “Limerick City and County Council is delighted to support the Global Irish Festival Series again in 2019. We look forward to working with Fáilte Ireland, I.NY, and the Richard Harris International Film Festival, to build the series into a must see/ do event in Limerick this Autumn.
The programmes being hosted are very exciting and will draw interest from near and far, for what promises to be a great October in Limerick.”
In Donegal, the initiative will support Donegal Connect, which runs from 27th September to 6th October and offers a rich itinerary of food, culture, music and heritage experiences, genealogy classes, sport, business and education, to entice the Irish Diaspora to explore the county.
Welcoming the festival series’ return to Donegal, Garry Martin, Director of Economic Development & Global Engagement at Donegal County Council, said: “We are delighted to see the Global Irish Festival Series return to Donegal this Autumn. With support from Fáilte Ireland, Donegal County Council has worked with key stakeholders and local communities to build a fantastic programme of events for Donegal Connect and we’re hoping the festival will be even bigger and better this year. Donegal has so much to offer and our aim is to encourage our diaspora to come home and experience the county at its best.”
To find out more about the Global Irish Festival Series, see: www.wildatlanticway.com/globalirish.