Carrick on Shannon in County Leitrim is celebrating a year full of activities as 2013 marks the 400th anniversary since King James 1st granted the town charter.

The European strand of the Global Diaspora Forum took place in Killiney, Dublin, on the 14th and 15th of May this year and was attended by 200 delegates from around the world. The two-day programme included seven themed workshops with contributions from a wide range of leaders on diaspora matters.

Forget about hotels or bed and breakfasts. Treat yourself like real royalty during your next vacation to Ireland and stay at one of these historic castles.

The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) is offering the public a unique opportunity to be part of an exciting book it is producing to mark The Gathering.

Members of the choir who stood as school children in the GAA field in New Ross and welcomed US President John F. Kennedy to his ancestral home and later traveled to the US to sing on The Ed Sullivan Show gathered in New Ross town for a reunion.

Commander Chris Hadfield, a social media savvy Canadian astronaut on the International Space Station, bid goodbye to his 790,000+ Twitter followers and 268,000+ Facebook friends with an acoustic cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

Ireland’s bus strike is off and normal service has resumed – but only for 48 hours as unions and management begin talks to resolve their issues.

Former US President Jimmy Carter was in Kilkenny this past week as part of a summit for The Elders organization, an elite independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights.

Over 50 letters sent to and from Bruff, Co Limerick between the 1920s and 1970s will go on display in the town this summer.

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) has partnered with the US Embassy, the National Archives and the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1963 visit of President John F Kennedy to Ireland, as part of a larger programme of events remembering this historic occasion.

Profiles of cities, towns and villages of Ireland compiled from the 2011 census provide statistical pictures of every county allowing the public to single out which place in Ireland most matches their personal values.

Shannon Airport has launched five new services across US, UK and Europe and 33-destinations in-all in 2013. A 22 percent upswing in transatlantic alone as airport secures five US services for the first time in five years they have announced.

The Kinsale Arts Festival is inviting friends old and new back to Kinsale for Come Home for Your Tea Party, in celebration of the Gathering.

Are you a Twin? Does your Twin live in Canada, The United States, Australia, or Europe? If so Twin Fest Ireland is offering you the opportunity to be reunited in Ireland this August with your twin.

St. John Fisher College, in Rochester, NY will host an Irish famine remembrance event called ‘A Rochester Irish Gathering’ beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday May 19.

Unlikely as it may sound, two spots in Tehran, Iran pay homage to Bobby Sands, the IRA activist who died while hunger striking in the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland.

A ‘ JFK50’ museum will open in New Ross town in mid-May as part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the visit of President John F Kennedy to the town.
 
The community museum, which has been collecting memorabilia and artefacts from the original visit of President John F. Kennedy to the two, and his ancestral home in 1963, will open to the public at Bailey’s Shop on North Street in New Ross town.
 
One of the curators of the community museum Ray Flynn commented, “Earlier this year we invited resident of New Ross and the region to loan to us any memorabilia they had in their possession, that was in anyway connected with the historic visit of President John F. Kennedy to Ireland in the 1960s, we called out for photographs, flags, souvenirs, newspaper articles or even parts of the original podium, the response we have received has been phenomenal.
 
We have had some really interesting pieces come into the museum some of which include a letter to the Hickey Family in New Ross, the Hicky family owned a blanket factory in the town and presented President Kennedy with a specially made blanket during his visit, sometime after he returned to the U.S. they received a very nice thank you letter from the White house.
 
We also have hundreds of fantastic photographs, many of these include children from the town at the time and it has been a fascinating experience to identify these children who are now grown adults and to hear their memories of the iconic day in ’63.
 
Another fascinating piece has been donated by Rita Malone from the twon, Rita was 12 years old during the visit and it clearly had a last impression on Rita as for years afterwards she collected every press clipping she could find on President Kennedy and she has presented the museum with five large scrapbooks.
 
In general the feeling is that when Kennedy came to New Ross he had an amazing and a still lasting effect on the town and we feel that this museum really captured that feeling.” Ray conculuded.
 
All items included in the museum have been carefully catalogued and will be on display for the duration of the JFK50 celebrations, and local volunteers will staff the museum.
 
If you wish to loan any items to the Museum please contact New Ross Tidy Towns Committee or New Ross and District Chamber Office on 051-361011.
 
The town recently announced the stage line-up for celebrations in New Ross for ‘The Homecoming’ on June 22, this features Wexford ambassador, journalist, presenter and former RTE news reader Anne Doyle who will take to the stage on New Ross Quayside and welcome visitors to Wexford as well as introduce the formidable line-up, which will include the critically acclaimed award winning author and Wexford ambassador Colm Toibin who will recite from the stage.  George Hook, well-known broadcaster, TV critic and Kennedy fan will assist Anne.
 
International singer and Wexford ambassador Michael Londra who will preform a song he has written especially for the event with Grammy award winning songwriter Marcus Hummon.
 
World-renowned dancer, musician and performer Michael Flatley, who will narrate the journey and significance of the Emigrant Flame before it’s symbolic lighting on the quayside, evoking the spirit and inspiration of the Kennedys and the entire Irish emigrant family. And American Grammy award winning singer and songwriter Judy Collins, one of the great icons of American music, will also entertain visitors from the stage with some wonderful pieces from her vast songbook. Extreme Rhythm, the most hightly acclaimed percussion group in Europe, led by Wexford Town man Nicky Bailey, will also perform in honour of JFK and the Kennedy Family and World pipe band champions, New Ross and District Pipe Band will also entertain the special guests and viewing public.
 
For further details on all of the events taking place throughout the year for the JFK50 see www.jfk50ireland.com.

A unique Monaghan-focused family history initiative is being organized as part of The Gathering 2013. It will provide two four-day training courses within the county for tourists tracing their Monaghan ancestors.
 
The project is entitled ‘County Monaghan Genealogy – home to the little hills.’ It will give participants information on the genealogical sources available, the cultural history of County Monaghan and the diversity of origin of its people. The courses will take place in North Monaghan from Monday to Thursday, 14-17 October, and in Carrickmacross from Monday to Thursday, 21-24 October. The courses are designed for individuals and groups with Monaghan ancestry living overseas and members of Irish societies and social clubs abroad.
 
This project is organized by Clogher Historical Society/Cumann Seanchais Chlochair, Monaghan County Library and the County Monaghan Heritage Gathering Committee. The project is also being supported by the County Monaghan Fund and Monaghan Genealogy. The project will be delivered by Ancestor Network Ltd, a professional genealogy company.
 
Substantial funding for the project has resulted in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for overseas visitors to come to Monaghan to trace their roots, experience the warmth of a Monaghan welcome and explore its rich culture and history.
 
If you are a native of Monaghan or know someone who might be interested, contact: John Hamrock, info@ancestor.ie, Tel: +353 87 0505296, Twitter: @ancestornetwork, or on Facebook.
 
About the Training Courses

IrishCentral is giving you the chance to win two roundtrip tickets to Ireland!

The number of visitors to Ireland from the Middle East has increased 15 percent from the same time last year according to the latest figures from Tourism Ireland. There has also been an 8 percent increase in the number of visitor visa applications from last year.

The annual Irish Redhead Convention brings together redheads from Ireland and abroad for games centered around red hair in Crosshaven, Co Cork. 

Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland, have found that the St Patrick’s Day Festival of 2013 had twice the economic impact of the same event in 2010.

The Joe Heaney Festival of Traditional Singing takes place this May bank holiday weekend  ( May 3 - 6 ) in Carna, Connemara. This festival commemorates the life and musical legacy of the renowned ‘Sean Nós’ singer from Carna, who died in Seattle in 1984.

Irish based, Leitrim Tourism, is in New York this week to launch a recruitment drive to increase the number of Leitrim Ambassadors in the US. The initiative is targeting people who come from Leitrim and are now living in New York, and the US, and is encouraging them to become advocates of their native county by creating awareness of what’s on offer and encouraging others to consider the beautiful county in the West of Ireland for future vacations.
 
The search for ambassadors was officially initiated last evening in the well known New York based Irish bar, Rosie O’Gradys. A large Leitrim contingent attended the event all entertained by famous Leitrim son, writer and actor, Seamus O’Rourke.
 
The event coincides with a GAA match which sees Leitrim’s Senior team take on New York in the Connacht Senior Football Championship.  The highly anticipated match takes place in Gaelic Park at 3pm on Sunday, 5th May. The quarter final of the Connacht championship is expected to attract a large crowd to Gaelic Park where Leitrim Tourism officials will be on hand to meet natives of the county and encourage them to take part in this new initiative.
 
In order to continue the success of the Gathering initiative Leitrim folk are being encouraged to tell their friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues about the County of Leitrim and to increase people’s awareness of what’s on offer to those who visit. This initiative seeks to build on the success of the 2013 year of the Gathering and encourages people to consider Lovely Leitrim for a future vacation next year and beyond.

With an estimated 70 million around the world who claim Irish ancestry, tourism was an obvious market for the government  to enrich the struggling economy.  The government established 2013 as a year to explore all that Ireland has to offer calling it “The Gathering” and have already seen positive results. 

The status as Ireland’s top holiday destination is up for grabs – with the competition down to 25 locations on both sides of the border.

Almost $362,000 will be spent on renovating Enniskillen. Co. Fermanagh. The money will be spent on making the town “brighter and more vibrant” through a painting and signage scheme and to give marketing training to store owners.

Ireland’s tourist board ought to promote its heritage because it's unique heritage is what really gives it its competitive advantage in a world where everywhere is looking increasingly the same, writer and presenter Loyd Grossman told the Failte Ireland at the Irish tourism conference this week.

What better way to celebrate all that the Ring of Cork has to offer, than a super festival in the year of the Gathering.  The Ring of Cork Festival will be held on Saturday May 18th in Midleton, Co. Cork and all are welcome from near and far to join in an impressive and truly unique line-up of activities, fairs and fun on the day.

Northern Ireland will have a Game of Thrones tour that will take guests to some of the most exciting sites of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones.” A start date has not yet been announced.

The Irish Georgian Society has said it "strongly disagrees" with the proposals made by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to build a commemoration to the victims of institutional abuse in the Garden of Remembrance.

B&B Ireland has reported major rise in booking following a more digitalized system.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan’s infamous flight to Ireland.

Leitrim Tourism are set to launch a recruitment drive to increase the number of Leitrim Ambassadors in the U.S.

The seasonal summer service flights provided by Air Canada between Dublin and Toronto are now to be increased in a year-round service which will be provided by an low-cost offshoot of the Airline named Rouge.

Tom Mee (87), a Colorado man whose family trace their roots to County Cork, had heard a lot about traditional Irish wakes from his grandparents and had always wished he could be present at his own. On Monday night, Clancy’s pub in Athy, County Kildare, made his dream come true, he attended his own “fake wake”, casket, musicians and all.

Heroes throughout North America, Britain and Europe, especially those with a connection to Ireland, are invited to the Emerald Isle this summer for a celebration of their bravery.

Overseas visitors coming to Ireland say they are getting better value for their money than they did three years ago.

Tourism Ireland has announced the appointment of Alison Metcalfe as its new Head of North America.

The Gallagher Clan has launched a detailed itinerary of the second Gallagher Global Gathering, which is being held in Co. Donegal from 6th – 14th September 2013. They also launched the search for nominations for the Gallagher Global Award, which will be presented at that event to the Gallagher who gives most reason for Gallaghers to be even prouder to be named Gallagher.

The stage line-up for “The Homecoming” on June 22, one of the major celebratory dates of the JFK50, features some of County Wexford’s best known citizens.

The news that Boston College will play Notre Dame in 2015 has dramatically increased the chances that the game could go to Ireland.

Come to the Gathering of all Rossies this year in Boyle, Co. Roscommon, Ireland which commences on May 23rd With a celebration of the 400th Year since the town was established by  Royal Charter. There will never be a better year to visit, reconnect or experience for the first time what is great about Roscommon as the county will be jam packed with events all year long.

The special flagship weekend has lots of activities for our overseas visitors

On the International Day for Monuments and Sites, the Heritage Council has called out the Irish Government for an unfair division of the declining funds to protect tangible history in Ireland.  In 2008, there were 20 million euros for the protection and repairs of historic sites and monuments in Ireland compared to 5.7 million euros today. 

Being Irish not just an Irish thing, of the 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish ancestry, only about 5 million are actually Irish citizens. This year, anyone with the slightest connection to Ireland has been invited home for The Gathering 2013. Some have viewed the initiative cynically, as a way for a bankrupt state to haul in a few extra tourist dollars. However, in the hands of ordinary people, the Gathering may yet prove to be a profound thing.