Tag Archives: the gathering

A TOTAL of 28,947 people visited Clare Museum in Ennis during 2013, making the year the busiest  since 2008.  More than 3,000 extra visitors came to the museum during the year representing 12.5% increase on 2012 and continued an upward trend that began in 2011. While both the The Gathering and increased traffic into Shannon, particularly from the United States, were important factors in this increase, a number of museum initiatives were hugely successful during the year also. Among these initiatives were public talks on the Hidden History of Clare that attracted great interest locally during the winter and spring.  Another was the Festival of Poland, a project designed to build a bridge between the museum and the largest ethnic minority in the county.

UP to 150 people are expected in Coole Park and Gort this weekend for the 19th annual Lady Gregory Autumn Gathering. This year, the gathering centres on women writers and includes readings and workshops by a number of well-known writers and academics. “By inviting famous women writers of Irish descent from around the world to follow in the footsteps of this remarkable woman, we are honouring Lady Gregory’s contribution to Irish arts and culture in this unique gathering. We seem to be attracting a wider international audience, both male and female, with this enhanced Gathering. “Spread over five days instead of three, from Thursday to Monday, more overseas visitors will be attracted to South Galway and to Ireland, in support of the Gathering Ireland 2013 initiative,” explained honorary secretary of the event, Marion Cox. Last year’s events as part of the Gathering were booked out and Marion is expecting a large crowd again this year. “The feedback has been absolutely …

A NORTH Clare village has come up with a novel competition to attract tourists to the area. This year, Corofin will host what organisers say is the first Irish Beard and Moustache Championships. The village is already home to the annual World Stone Throwing Championships. The two competitions will be held as part of the Festival of Finn on the May Bank Holiday Weekend. “The Festival of Finn has been resurrected this year as Corofin’s contribution to The Gathering 2013 but with a new Corofin Tourism Association in place, it is planned to continue it as an annual event. We have incorporated the annual World Stone Throwing Championships into the festival and were also looking for another event that would have an attraction for visitors to the area to include on the programme. Hence the beard competition,” explained Gerard Kennedy, one of the event organisers. This year’s competitors will have to settle for a national title but if the event …