Applications can now be made for funding under the Community Tourism Initiative for the Diaspora.
The initiative, launched last year, builds on the community involvement legacy of The Gathering 2013 and is a joint partnership between Clare County Council, IPB Insurance and Fáilte Ireland.
The scheme provides a national fund of €1m to support local community-based events and festivals each year. Last year, 31 local events were supported in Clare, attracting over 1,400 visitors from overseas.
Administered locally by Clare County Council, the application process will close on March 31. Interested parties can contact Ailish McMahon, Tourism & Community Department, Clare County Council.
Cthaoirleach of Clare County Council, John Crowe said, “We all witnessed the benefits from The Gathering and this scheme gives us an opportunity to build on its legacy. The Community Tourism Initiative allows us to sustain many of the grass roots networks which sprang to life during The Gathering in Clare and sustain an infrastructure of events and relationships which will have long term tourism and social benefits for this region for many years to come.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.