Gabriel Byrne says the Gathering is a scam.

Death and Taxes

Well said that man, it's about time someone called this what it actually is, another attempt to shake down and rip off the "Oirish" abroad!
No doubt the government hope it will do better than their failed "Certificate of Irish Heritage" scam.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1106/the-gathering-gabriel-byrne.html

gobnaitolunacy

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a scam more an ill-thought out, hazy nebulous 'thing'.

The Certificate was a miserable scrap of paper not even worthy of a tourist tat shop. Even the stereotypically stupid Yanks aren't fooled by it...http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-Heritage-Certificate-scheme-a-dud-as-Irish-Americans-pass-on-it-176231171.html


No doubt the hotels will be scamming anyway, riiiding everyone for major events.

MagicMarker

The Gatherwhat?

Sunnyisland

Maybe if the Government did more about the source of our emigration of our young people instead of treating it as some sort of export commodity we could take this more seriously, Sure lets all have a party of all the Irish people who left Ireland, many with no alternatives. It be great craic.

bgrizzley

Agree with Byrne. Sounds like they've creamed all they can out of the people here, now they want to try and scam what they can off the Irish who arent.

Stench Blossoms

Yeh I kinda agree with him. Most people I know that are living abroad come home once a year for Christmas. None of them will be coming over twice in a year.

Gummy Panda

The Gathering?

is this something to do with highlander?

deelite

Don't understand the concept of this "gathering" at all.

SEPT 23 1989

So the elite have the begging bowl out for people who had to leave a failed corrupt state because of the actions of the elites from previous generations

have they no shame?:mad:

Plazaman

Waste of money in design, printing and marketing. If it was instead spent in trying to keep a few of the 90,000 + people (mainly under 30's) who emigrated in the last 18 months at home, that would be a gathering I'd welcome.

Perfect gobshítery type thinking from the powers that be - now that we've ran ye out of the country to look for work abroad, bring back some of that lovely money you've earned. Enda "Fagin" Kenny.

Sunnyisland

Gummy Panda wrote: »

The Gathering?

is this something to do with highlander?

From the Dawn of Time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret lives. Struggling to reach the Time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you...until now.

Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez



"There can be only one,"

Tombo2001

Personally I'm sick of this pr*ck and others like him, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson......popping back over here once every two years, appear on the Late Late Show or whatever, and lecture us on what a ****-hole it is and what a **** job we are doing with a country that he chooses not to live in..........

There were plenty of people here in this country questioning the gathering but they never made it to the front page of the Indo.

But some pr*ck who makes good in Amerikay, sucking on the tit of the worlds most unequal democracy, where 43 million people are food stamps...... well they gotta be listened to.....

To be honest, i'd blame the media for giving him exposure......everyones entitled to their opinion.....but for some reason his is up there in lights all the time.

Dravokivich

MagicMarker wrote: »

The Gatherwhat?

THere's posters all over town over it, one with a hot scandinavian chick says "This time they're invited."

Typically of an Irish quango, there's no information detailing what exactly she's invited to, as I'd go to give'er'un. :pac:

GavRedKing

They should focus the main celebrations of the Gathering on that other notable Irish holiday, Arthurs Day. :rolleyes:

Ellis Dee

They've got a hell of a nerve., and Gabriel Byrne is quite right to call bullsh1t on their latest attempt to hoodwink the people.:rolleyes:

Successive Irish governments have relied on emigration as a safety valve to relieve the pressure that might have led to real change in this country. Those who departed were largely left to fend for themselves. Until the advent of the Internet, they were mostly hopelessly cut off from meaningful contact with or news about their home country. The government didn't even provide a shortwave radio service.:mad:

But those who succeeded, often against all the odds, in foreign fields were expected to contribute some of their wealth and their abilities to the "auld sod", as though they owed it anything.:rolleyes:

I have Finnish citizenship and, even if I never set foot in Finland again for the rest of my life, I can still go up to the embassy in Dublin and vote in all parliamentary, municipal and presidential elections as well as in any referendums they arrange. They even serve coffee and biscuits and thank you for doing your "duty as a citizen".:) Why can't Ireland show its citizens abroad the same respect?

Why should Irish people abroad give a sh1t about some phoney "gathering" that the corrupt ruling elite here arrange? If that same elite really cared about our citizens abroad, it would treat them they way Finland treats me - with respect for me personally and for my views.:cool:

But that will never happen, because then the wasters that have ruined this country would be swept into the cesspit of history.

Where they belong!:mad:

666irishguy

The way we literally sell our national image abroad always makes me cringe. If it isn't Celtic this or Celtic that it's this kind of semi mystic shyte of distant sons and daughters returning to their motherland. I agree with what realies said 100%. If we actually looked at emigration as a source of national shame and worked to prevent it being forced upon another generation we would be better served than celebrating it and romanticising as part of this national myth of "The Irish (we must refer to ourselves in the third person always)" we have built for ourselves. It's a way of swallowing our own failings in the past and present.

Rhys Essien

Do we not have 3 unofficial gatherings during the year anyway.For Paddys day,Summer hols,and for Christmas.This whole idea is a laughing stock and should have been consigned to the dustbin.

maximoose

I've seen plenty of billboards around Dublin advertising this but hadn't a clue what the hell it was

Just on their site now:

Throughout 2013, Ireland will open its arms to hundreds of thousands of friends and family from all over the world, calling them home to gatherings in villages, towns and cities.

The Gathering is the people’s party. It will kick off in spectacular style at the New Year’s Eve Festival in Dublin and will be celebrated through gatherings of the people and Ireland’s major festivals during 2013. After that it is over to you. It is in your hands. Be part of it.

Sounds like an absolute crock of sh*te tbh, a terrible idea drummed up by the boys in morketing. If they focused it on maybe one or two months in the summer and had plenty of events packed in it sounds like it might work, but drawing it out over the year makes me think there'll be a bit of buzz for it around Jan/Feb and then forgotten about.

Stheno

deelite wrote: »

Don't understand the concept of this "gathering" at all.

same here tbh

granturismo

I nearly fell asleep listening to Gabriel Byrne, he's boring and pretentious. He's embarrassed to admit that he acts in movies and TV shows and only want to talk about his stage appearances.

Ian: In treatment was a successful show
Gabby Byrne: Yes, it was well received critically.

So, he's only interested in critics reviews dahllings and not the millions he get from movie and TV roles.

folan

Gabriel Byrne points out truth shocker.

Irish people think rest of world too thick to see it themselves shocker.

Pupito

This Gathering thing is based on a very succesful Scottish one-year initiative from a few years back. But then again they don't seem to tear each other apart over ideas to bump up their tourism figures like it would be a terrible, terrible thing to get more people to come to a country and spend money.

Maybe we should put a stop altogether to advertising the country abroad. Sure we don't deserve the tourism. And the tourists that do come at the moment, we force them at shillelagh-point onto Paddywagon and Viking Splash tours where, God forbid, they may actually have a good time at something we'd consider a bit beneath ourselves.

So next time you see a tourist, narrow your eyes in suspicion, approach and tell them to leave and come back when they're attracted by an advertising campaign that doesn't offend your sensibilities because there's emigration afoot.

SafeSurfer

Gabriel Byrne spoke the truth.

Its just part of the hypocrisy with which we treat our emigrants.

As part of the "Gathering" are we going to extend the franchise to our emigrants like other states with large diasporas? Are we f*ck.

Invite them "home" (do you ever notice how we ask people who have been living abroad for years, how long are you "home" for) fleece them, and send them on their way.

If any of the emigrants that we are inviting "home" decide to stay, even if they have only been away fop a couple of years, they are treated like illegal aliens, with no automatic right to social welfare etc.

vektarman

GavRedKing wrote: »

They should focus the main celebrations of the Gathering on that other notable Irish holiday, Arthurs Day. :rolleyes:

Isn't it Saint Arthurs day??

SafeSurfer

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Personally I'm sick of this pr*ck and others like him, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson......popping back over here once every two years, appear on the Late Late Show or whatever, and lecture us on what a ****-hole it is and what a **** job we are doing with a country that he chooses not to live in..........

Do you not think that these people simply have a higher profile to reflect the general anger of emigrants whose country has failed them?

Tombo2001 wrote: »

But some pr*ck who makes good in Amerikay, sucking on the tit of the worlds most unequal democracy, where 43 million people are food stamps...... well they gotta be listened to.....

And the Taoiseach of a country where 1.8 million people have €100 or less of disposable income each month has the high moral ground?

Leslie91

Scam is the wrong word... it's a shameless attempt at ripping off anybody silly enough to believe Ireland is a place worth coming too for 'The Gathering' (whatever the F that is supposed to be). I don't blame Enda for trying it on mind you, we are screwed, we're broke. Corrupt bankers and politicians have us the way we are and yet they remain untapped.

Enda/Noonan et al, change the freakin laws lads and go after the pensions and salaries of the fat cats instead of asking John or Mick to come back from New York for a €5 or more pint. Start at home with the gravy train that is the elite and many in the public service. Not the nurses or teachers or guards, the wasters pen pushing because it is not retirement age yet.

R P McMurphy

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Do you not think that these people simply have a higher profile to reflect the general anger of emigrants whose country has failed them?




And the Taoiseach of a country where 1.8 million people have €100 or less of disposable income each month has the high moral ground?

Is Gabriel Byrne the cultural ambassador to the US or was that someone else. If it is him this is a bit of a major smack in the face to the whole thing. It sounds pretty ill thought out anyway. Can't see too many falling for the certificate business

Pappa Charlie

Well done Byrne! thanks for calling it like it is, I've noticed this emerging in my area and some of the people involved are the usual suspects (pardon the pun!) who are looking for grants for this and that and see it as a meal ticket, I think we seriously run the risk of turning the very people we are trying to attract away. We've shaken down Joe soap in this country untill hes empty and now we're going after those we forced out. If they Government could tax these emigrants they would in a heart beat!

ejmaztec

realies wrote: »

From the Dawn of Time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret lives. Struggling to reach the Time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you...until now.

Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez

"There can be only one,"

It's unfortunate that they're expecting about 60 million.:(

JohnMarston

The Gathering is gonna fall flat anyway, so whats the big deal

yosser hughes

Gabriel was appointed by our former Taoiseach Brian Cowen as a 'cultural ambassador'.Maybe he'd prefer if Fianna Faíl were back in power?
the gathering is just a tourism idea. No harm in it. calling it a scam is a bit harsh.Of course it's an attempt to get more people to come here and spend money.what's wrong with that? Is promoting tourism a scam?