Global Irish Festival invites Irish abroad to reconnect

All along the Wild Atlantic Way, in counties Donegal, Mayo, Limerick and Kerry, an exciting Global Irish Festival Series of events are planned for 2022 to encourage the Irish diaspora – some 70 million people around the world – to come home to celebrate the culture of their home county, uncover shared histories and forge lasting connections.

The festivities kick off in Mayo, where, for the month of May, the Home to Mayo festival will present a calendar of events aimed at enticing the sons and daughters of the county to come back and reconnect.

Among the highlights of the month is the Footsteps of Emigrants Festival (2 May) featuring guided walks, information seminars about relocating to Ireland, and an evening of song and dance.

The Carne International Festival of Gold golf competition (10–14 May) is an opportunity for golfers to experience the sport in the rugged landscape of Connemara, while the Achill Island Film Festival (20–22 May) will showcase times gone by on the stunningly beautiful island.

Two Mayo towns are pulling out all the stops with festival weekends crammed with music, culture history, sports and crafts.

The three-day Home to Mayo Swinford Festival will feature food, music and culture events, a history bus tour and a series of ‘give it a try’ workshops offering the chance to have a go at fishing, Gaelic football, speaking Irish, baking Irish bread and learning traditional dance (20–22 May).

The following weekend the Home to Ballina Festival (27–29 May) invites the area’s extended family and community home to enjoy an action-packed programme celebrating the bonds of family, ancestry, genealogy, culture, heritage and sporting achievements.

Later in the year Donegal will take centre stage with Donegal Connect (23–25 September) offering a rich itinerary including food experiences, genealogy, sport, business, arts and culture. There’ll be the chance to enjoy the extraordinary creative talent of Donegal at concerts and explore the county’s dramatic landscape.

Global Limerick (23 September–30 October tbc) will take up the baton in the autumn with a number of events including The Richard Harris International Film Festival and Pigtown Food and Culture Series. Celebrating the unique talent of Richard Harris, in the city where he was born and raised, the film festival will showcase the work of young film makers from all over the world, feature filmmakers from the Irish Diaspora, theatrical performers, poets, singers and writers. Pigtown is a dedicated food festival celebrating Limerick’s food culture and heritage and is inspired by the history of Limerick’s famous bacon industry.

Finally, closing the Global Irish Festival Series for 2022 will be Kerry with An Turas Mór (The Journey Home) (1–30 October), which will focus on heritage, culture, sport and business. It will include the Dingle Food Festival, clan gatherings and opportunities to explore the spectacular and legendary Kerry landscape.

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