Will storm clear for the Gathering?

TELEPRINTER:Tourism Ireland will add substance to the much-attacked plans for a year-long, genealogy-flavoured shindig, The Gathering, when it launches its marketing strategy for 2013 at Croke Park today.

The umbrella tourism initiative – which will be Ireland’s biggest ever, according to Tourism Ireland – has encountered some resistance to date.

Shortly after the scathing intervention by Gabriel Byrne – he labelled The Gathering “a scam” – its marketing materials became a target for people angry and frustrated at the Government’s inaction on abortion legislation in the wake of the death of Savita Halappanavar (pictured).

The phrase “Don’t bring pregnant women” was added in Celtic lettering to The Gathering’s green-and-white logo by one individual and shared on social media. Unsurprisingly, this variation on the official message can’t be found anywhere in The Gathering’s 31-page brand identity usage guidelines document.

Meanwhile, a Facebook page titled Postcards for Savita has been set up advocating an alternative return-to-sender approach for the postcards distributed by An Post on The Gathering’s behalf.

Featuring smiley people in Aran sweaters, the corporate-branded postcards were originally created to encourage Irish people to send “a personal invitation to a friend or loved one overseas to come and visit Ireland in 2013”.

Several people have instead posted images of postcards that they have addressed to Enda Kenny at Leinster House and used to implore him to make them feel proud of and safe in their country before they invite anyone over.

“Dearest Enda. This arrived in my door today. How can we promote a country that does not promote women’s rights? Legislate,” reads one.

It’s not quite “wish you were here”.