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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

The Gathering not a scam but an opportunity -- Gabriel Byrne right on culture, wrong on The Gathering

Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2012 at 07:08 AM

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Notre Dame fans arrive in Ireland among thousands enjoying what Ireland has to offer

First of all let me say that Tourism Ireland and The Gathering is a sponsor in several of our publications but I am trying to be as objective as possible about Gabriel Byrne’s recent comments calling The Gathering a scam.

I don’t believe that it is a scam but I do believe Gabriel has it right in several other comments he made about how the concept of the Diaspora is treated in Ireland.

Let me deal with The Gathering concept first. I know the people who came up with the concept originally, men like John Concannon of Irish Tourism and Tim O’Connor former Consul General in New York, and their advocacy for the importance of the Irish abroad is both far seeing and genuine.

I saw it working in the Notre Dame game in Dublin and the Tip O’Neill clan gathering in Buncrana, Donegal, both of which I attended in September.

Twenty-five thousand Notre Dame fans traveled to Ireland and got an overwhelming welcome from Irish people throughout the island. Sure, there may have been cynics about the whole enterprise, but the genuine welcome went very deep with the Notre Dame fans.

The Tip O’Neill gathering which I spoke at was more what the nuts and bolts of The Gathering is about. The former speaker of the house traced his ancestral roots to Donegal and the extended O’Neill family came in en masse, about 80 in all.

The locals joined in for a weekend that was poignant, fun and deeply meaningful for the O’Neills.

Read more: Actor Gabriel Byrne slams The Gathering as ‘a scam‘ aimed at gullible Americans

It was precisely the kind of targeted event, drawing on a local connection across the country, that The Gathering is intended to be.

Last year we at Irish America Magazine hosted our first Hall of Fame event in Wexford, right on the Quayside where Patrick Kennedy set off for America in Famine times. Our main honoree was Don Keough, former president of Coca Cola, whose great grandfather made the same trip from that exact spot.

To walk that quay with him, to visit the famine ship replica, was a deeply spiritual moment for him and the locals could not have been more welcoming and more informative about his ancestor’s journey.

That is what The Gathering promises to be to me, a series of events across the island of Ireland where locals draw on the genuine local historical record and reach out to their separated brethren across the Atlantic or indeed in England or elsewhere.

Where Byrne is correct is in his criticism of what happened to the cultural outreach from Ireland. Culture Ireland set up an extensive cultural program of Irish events across the United States.

Byrne served as cultural ambassador for two years and did his damnedest to expand the cultural footprint of Ireland over here.

Then the Irish government abruptly pulled the funding, ending the experiment long before it should have.

Byrne is also right that the return to roots of so many Irish Americans is a deeply spiritual journey and that there are some misguided Irish who scoff at the whole business.

They display an incredible ignorance of the ties that bind across the centuries for two countries that are inextricably woven together through emigration.

But I don’t think those folks who sneer make up the majority, no more than some gombeen politicians who see the Diaspora through dollar signs and little else do.

The Gathering is a step in the right direction in my book, not a scam, but an opportunity.

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molliepmac | Nov 11, 2012, 08:05 PM EST

kinvara 7 ;- Nostalgia? I was last in Ireland 2 months ago. Sorry I do not recognise the picture you paint. Public transport virtually non existant outside of cities. Bus fares about 5 times the cost of the same journey in the UK. Moore Street N M under threat from developers. Motorways over Heritage sites. Artisan food - twice the price as elswhere. British shops everywhere( all the lovely money coming to the UK) Sorry never heard of Frommer's travel guide. questions; 1.Name the failings of the diaspora? 2. Name the Heritage Sites that are better? 3. Name and place the statues? 4.DAVID MCWILLIAMS far from the exception? Please please name others? so I can read what they have to say.

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Frosty38 | Nov 11, 2012, 04:06 PM EST

this for the man looking for his name Esther McClurg, of Downpatrick,Co-Down, Ireland. She married John Skillen. Four known children. Jane b. 1821. John* b.1824..Jemima b.1833 & Esther b.1839. The children were born in Ballygawley and Ballyrenan in Downpatrick. *John, born 1824 married Margaret McMurray, in 1846. Their daur Elizabeth Ann Skillen b.1858 was my gt grandmother.

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kinvara7 | Nov 11, 2012, 07:33 AM EST

Molliepmac: I have asked a number of questions, and I'm still waiting for you (or indeed anyone from the Diaspora) to answer them. Unfortunately, the type of messages people from the Diaspora are leaving are quite predictable in how they lay all the blame at the feet of the 'natives', while deftly ignoring any examination of their own failings -even though such an examination might stand to them better. I would have left you a longer reply the last day but I did not have the time. You said that the 'natives' have 'jettisoned' their culture and heritage etc., and that "If the natives get the ‘product’ right the Diaspora will be back to enjoy it. Have you any idea how to bring that about?" To be perfectly honest, I believe the 'product' has never been better. The towns have never looked better; the access to heritage sites; the restoration of old buildings; the erection of statues honouring figures of importance etc. The infrastructure has never been better; the choice of activities and festivals has never been better; the experience regarding artisan food etc., has never been better. After all, Ireland was voted the best tourist destination by readers of Frommer's travel guide in 2011. Now I can't make up for any sense of nostalgia you might have; holidays at your grandparents when you were young will always trump experiences in later years.

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Seanmor | Nov 10, 2012, 01:46 PM EST

MaryM: Even if you don't consider yourseld "irish in any way", you still inherited DNA from your grandparnts who were Irish. If everyone left Irland as they -and I - did, there wouldn't be an Ireland anymore, even one that is now rapidly disappearing because so many of its nativs are emigrating and being replaced by foreigners, legal and illegal. I'll also state that I'm exceedingly grateful to IRISH CENTRAL for posting nearly al of my comments, many of which would NOT appear in print in the pro-Partitionist Irish media. As an English-born U.S. citizen of Irish parents, I feel a very strong sense of loyalty to this great nation and a firm cultural attachment to ALL of Ireland. But the part of that country that was formerly known as the Free State means almost nothng to me in and of itself, especially while it is being misgoverned by Partitionis politicians.

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MaryM232 | Nov 10, 2012, 11:25 AM EST

Niall spits in the face of US citizens of Irish ancestry and views the US as a fat victim for the Irish to feed parasitically from, any critique of Byrne's comments, coming from Niall is a joke. This US citizen, whose paternal grandparents were Irish, doesn't consider herself Irish in any way, shape or form and have taught my children, using each example presented, for example, Bertie Ahern talking about Americans as though we were chattel, to sell or trade, the racist, whining, entitlement queens that write on Irish Central, that any of the Irish people who were good or worthy in any way, emigrated a long time ago. That Ireland has degenerated into a cesspit of hateful, greedy, grasping people that we have no connection to.

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Seanmor | Nov 09, 2012, 08:25 PM EST

The powers-that-be in the Irish state need our dollasrs, even though they couldn't care less about our well being.

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WoundedKnee | Nov 09, 2012, 03:17 PM EST

kinvara aka oloonsigh aka godknowswhatelse---I have only one user name, and I will continue to articulate the views of that 70% of the Irish people who when polled express opposition to the settlement of their country by huge numbers of foreigners. You're a liar--the views of these people have most certainly been stifled in Ireland. You Mass Immigrationists have nothing to offer here except lies and bigotry. You hate Ireland and its culture, and want to replace Irish people by foreigners.

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seamus60 | Nov 09, 2012, 01:48 PM EST

We`ll know its a scam when we see Gerry and Marty with a wee stall set up on O Connell Street selling their infamous product, the bottled water called "Only our rivers run Free". LOL

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molliepmac | Nov 09, 2012, 11:58 AM EST

kinvara7; you answer a question with a question. Well the diaspora are said to be 70 million around the world and Ireland as a whole 6 million. The question regarding The Gathering is whether the 6 million are willing to reach out to the rest and make them GENUINELY welcome ? The diaspora have no control over the TOURISM PRODUCT its down to the natives to figure out what a quality product is. Bord Failte say over and over that cultural tourism is important. Why then do we see for example the current row over Moore Street? Whatever ones views on 1916 it is utterly inconceivable that another National Monument is under threat of destruction by developers wanting to build another British store. Ye are well and truly colonised. QUESTION FOR YOU - SORRY TO REPEAT IT;- the tourism product is devalued. This seems to be the problem in that the ‘tourism product’ should consist of more than hotels and shops ( most of which are now British - all those lovely profits heading for the UK). Irelands most valuable UNIQUE asset is her heritage sites, history, language, culture – much of which appears to have been jettisoned by the natives during the smoke and mirrors of the Celtic Tiger years. If the natives get the ‘product’ right the diaspora will be back to enjoy it. Have you any idea how to bring that about? DAVID MCWILLIAMS far from the exception? Please please name others so I can read what they have to say. Who speaks for the diaspora? Well GABRIEL BYRNE just has. He has said he is relaying the views of many in the US and I think many in the UK would agree with him.

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kinvara7 | Nov 09, 2012, 11:07 AM EST

@Woundedknee: How many times have I engaged you on that very topic? 20 times? More probably. How many times have you posted about it (under all your usernames)? Would it be a part of 90% of your countless posts here on IC? So the idea that I’m stifling you from debating that topic is laughable. In my last post to you I said: I’d like to hear what you think about leadership in the Diaspora and the role of the Diaspora etc. Could you ‘decide’ on a post that would resemble a reply to this?

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kinvara7 | Nov 09, 2012, 10:54 AM EST

Molliepmac, David McWilliams is far from the exception when it comes to recognizing the Diaspora. Is there anyone in the Diaspora that eloquently and forcefully communicates ideas, like he does, about the potential of the Diaspora? Perhaps the question to be asked is not whether Ireland is out of touch with its Diaspora, but whether the Diaspora is out of touch with itself? Does it have a unity of purpose? If it doesn’t, then who is to blame for that?

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WoundedKnee | Nov 09, 2012, 10:38 AM EST

kinvara> You don't get to decide what other people put in their posts. I'm sure you'd like to stifle all free discussion and critique of Mass Immigration, just like the ruling class in Ireland has done. But it won't work in my case. And maybe you need to consider the absurdity of what you say--in a discussion on Ireland's relationship with its emigrants you want to outlaw any consideration of Ireland's Open Door Mass Immigration policy. Shhh...Don't mention the immigrants!!! You're nuts.

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molliepmac | Nov 09, 2012, 09:20 AM EST

kinvara7; In my post I pointed out that around 2006 Irish Ferries let their Irish staff go and now employ mainly Latvians at a lower wage. I wrote to the’ powers that be ‘in Ireland to protest. How many Irish protested at that move? How often has it been repeated? Now the ferry could well be on the Baltic heading for Riga – no feeling of anticipation at approaching Ireland. Thus the tourism product is devalued. This seems to be the problem in that the ‘tourism product’ should consist of more than hotels and shops ( most of which are now British - all those lovely profits heading for the UK). Irelands most valuable UNIQUE asset is her heritage sites, history, language, culture – much of which appears to have been jettisoned by the natives during the smoke and mirrors of the Celtic Tiger years. If the natives get the ‘product’ right the diaspora will be back to enjoy it. Have you any idea how to bring that about?

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IrelandNorth | Nov 09, 2012, 08:19 AM EST

The Irish Times quoted An Taoiseach Ó Cíonnaith asking Irish traders not to rip-off diaspora during The Gathering, perhaps a reaction to Gabriel Byrne's criticisms? Yet a cute-hoor (ie shyster!) element does see the diaspora through cash-register spectacles. Their céad míle fáilte (kead meela fall-che)/hundred thousand welcomes is for diaspora with Aus/Can/NZ/US$ Stg£/€100,000 - ie a welcome per currency unit. The Irish government bailed-out the banksters who killed the Celtic Tiger with public money payed for by savage cut backs in public spending, (similar to policies that drove Irish people away from these shores under previous colonial rule). Now politicians want disapora to replenish the Exchequer. Maybe the banksters should be bailing-out the diaspora. What about blue-collar diaspora. The Government could reciprocate the diaspora's spiritual connection by runnning such conneection on a not-for-profit basis. The extent to which they do so will determine their degree of authenticity.

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kinvara7 | Nov 09, 2012, 07:16 AM EST

@Woundedknee: In 2006, near the height of the construction boom and the attraction it had for young job seekers, 21% of those working in hotels were non-nationals. Furthermore, you need to remember that the tourist industry is not just about hotels. Are you able to discuss any of the substantive issues I’ve raised in my previous posts, or do you just want to talk about immigrants again? Because, I think, we’ve spoken about that before; perhaps we could park that for this thread. I’d like to hear what you think about leadership in the Diaspora and the role of the Diaspora etc.

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