Dublin prepares spectacular show to launch The Gathering and attract tourists in record numbers

What a bloody awful projection of Ireland ! All the great musicians we have ,and we are forced to listen "ad nauseum " to Imelda May . What planet are these people on when they think that an international audience would bother looking for more than 5 minutes at such a production ?

The first marketing company hired to come up for a logo for the Gathering got fired. They read the brief and came back with a cartoon of a Red, White and Blue turkey being plucked by a gombeen man in a Louis Copeland suit.

Like that movie.."Highlander"...they talked about the time of the great gathering of immortals

A little disgruntled to find my beloved Saint Stephen's Green closed off to the public this afternoon, apparently to prepare for fireworks display. Also, uncomfortable at private security staff replacing regular Park Constables, who were relocated to Iveagh Gardens nearby. Why not do the fireworks display there and leave Da Green open to the public? Some private contract security are foreign nationals, prohibiting access to public facilities by tax paying nationals. There's a €15 cover charge to the College Green gig tonight, despite being staged on a public thoroughfare. How do "the authorities" justify privatising public facilities, if only temporarily. Or conferring authority on non-national private police over card carrying citizens? Could lead to a Scatterin' of deprioritised Irish Irelander's.

it's going to be fantastic :) see you all their ..!!

The gathering is not for the resident Irish, nor for the gainsayers. It is for the visitors who come to see the country of the heritage for the first time. It is the duty of everyone to ensure that they carry away great memories. It is nobody's duty to rain on their parade.I hope that 'The Gathering' is successful enough to encourage more visitors , in the future. That will only be achieved if the visitors feel that their trip has been 'value for money'. I was in my own town, Killarney a couple of years ago and 'soup and a roll' was priced at 7 Euros: as a consequence the cafes were empty. When stores like Dunnes and M&S are offering first class picnic lunches at reasonable prices, I belive a rethink on prices is due.

Can't wait.