Week of Welcomes in South-East Galway

From Sunday, 24 June until Saturday, 30 June, the South-East Galway Chapter of the Ireland Reaching Out Programme will welcome this year’s visitors for the 2012 Week of Welcomes.

The Week of Welcomes is an integral part of the Ireland XO programme and is an opportunity for people of Irish heritage to explore their past and connect with the people and places of their forefathers.

The week is organised by local parishes for their own diaspora and affords an opportunity to meet in a place of common ancestry.

This year’s event kicks off with a Welcome Reception in the Lady Gregory in Gort on Sunday, 24 June where the newly-elected Lord Mayor of County Galway, Thomas Welby, will greet the guests who this year are travelling from as far away as USA and New Zealand.

The event continues on Monday, 25 June with a ‘This is who you are’ day where guests will tour the parishes from which their forebearers emigrated and visit ancestral graveyards, churches and schools. 

An action-packed week of tours, events and activities is planned for the visitors showcasing the best that South-East Galway has to offer. Among the highlights of the week are tours to Aughrim, Coole Park, Woodville House in Kilchreest, Kilmacduagh Monastery, Kiltartan Gregory Museum, Portumna Workhouse and Castle and Rathbawn Farm.

Other highlights include a tour and historical lecture in Galway City and a reception at the Civic Offices, a River Shannon cruise and visit to Clonmacnoise and special events such as the opening of the Great Outdoors Festival in Portumna Castle, a Pig ‘n’ Porter night in Kilconnell and a Country Market in Eyrecourt.

The week will culminate with a special visit to Killimor for a hurley-making demonstration, followed by the Inaugural Patrick Larkin Memorial Hurling Tournament between teams from Kiltormer and Killimor, and a Farewell Dinner in the Loughrea Spa Hotel.

Full details of the week can be found on the website under www.irelandxo.com/wow2012/schedule. Contact Ireland XO office in Loughrea for full details on 091-842013.