FAMILIES WORLDWIDE with the name of one of the 14 tribes of Galway will be invited to the city for a medieval festival in 2013 as part of the “Gathering” initiative announced recently by Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar.
Whether they reside in Brazil or Bundoran, all Athys, Blakes, Bodkins, Brownes, D’Arcys, Deanes, Ffonts, Ffrenches, Joyces, Kirwans, Lynches, Martins, Morrises and Skerritts will be invited to the city of the tribes for a week-long festival to celebrate the Irish ancestry of their family names.
Under the proposal, Eyre Square in the city centre would be converted into a medieval village.
Plaques dedicated to the story of the various tribes would also be displayed across the city.
The festival is being suggested as part of the wider Gathering initiative announced by Mr Varadkar at the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin.
While a date has not been fixed for the festival, Galway city councillor Niall McNelis, who first voiced the idea, said strong indications of support had already been received from Fáilte Ireland, Galway Chamber of Commerce, Galway City Council and the Galway Historical Society.
“It’s a great way to celebrate [the Norman] part of our history and it won’t cost a fortune to do it, which is the best part,” he said.
“I spoke with [Fáilte Ireland chief executive] Shaun Quinn and he got it straight away.”
Social media would be key in contacting the “massive” numbers around the world that can trace their ancestry back to the tribes of Galway, said Mr McNelis, who added that he had spoken to “a number of social media experts” who would be willing to facilitate such a campaign.
A spokesman for Fáilte Ireland said yesterday the organisation was looking forward to working with groups nationwide that were proposing events based on the Government’s Gathering initiative.