The Gathering are you ashamed

Valetta

Hootanany wrote: »

Its true though.

They're completely separate issues. It's like saying we should stop trying to promote indigenous industries because some councillor in ballygobackwards fiddled his mileage claim.

Makes no sense whatsoever.

Hootanany

And here is the problem you accept that type off behavior

Valetta

Hootanany wrote: »

And here is the problem you accept that type off behavior

What gives you that idea?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Hootanany wrote: »

I am.

Hootanany wrote: »

Its true though.

I know this is probably a waste of a perfectly good post, but, seeing as you are the thread starter, would you care to elaborate on this?

thebostoncrab

fishy fishy wrote: »

where's all the money going?

Well it created new jobs in the museum, so that's one place. Really think people are looking for a reason to complain about it since its a government run scheme, so it musthave some selfish intentions.

It has brought extra money into the country, create jobs and helped showcase a positive image of Ireland across the globe. How is that a negative thing?

Hootanany

Because the Government are asking expats to come back and spend money plain & simple.

Femme_Fatale

Hootanany wrote: »

Because the Government are asking expats to come back and spend money plain & simple.

Yeh, people going on holidays to the country they have emigrated from - where does this debauchery end?!! :eek:

And there's a gun being put to the head of each one of them too.

Hootanany

Its a kind of guilt trip that is being used why call it a gathering when its a shake down. Open your eyes.

Femme_Fatale

An initiative to bring money into a country whose economy is ailing... these monsters need to be overthrown!

My eyes are open: I think you're just looking for a reason to whinge about it, for the sake of it.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hootanany wrote: »

Its a kind of guilt trip that is being used why call it a gathering when its a shake down. Open your eyes.

It is nothing more than a shakedown.

Certificates of irish ancestry at €40 a pop.

Herding people to the arsehole of Wexford to celebrate an adulterous drunkard who deserved to be shot. Wasting public money bringing a flame from Boston. The misuse of naval vessels to inflate the ego's of wexford spud eaters.

I could go on all night but I has to visit Nelson in hospital and tweet to RTE.

Rasheed

Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote: »

It is nothing more than a shakedown.

Certificates of irish ancestry at €40 a pop.

Herding people to the arsehole of Wexford to celebrate an adulterous drunkard who deserved to be shot. Wasting public money bringing a flame from Boston. The misuse of naval vessels to inflate the ego's of wexford spud eaters.

I could go on all night but I has to visit Nelson in hospital and tweet to RTE.

Did JFK seduce your granny or something?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Hootanany wrote: »

Because the Government are asking expats to come back and spend money plain & simple.

Not really what I had in mind when I said "elaborate".

I mean, what makes you think this, what experience have you had with the idea, do you know expats who came home or didn't. Makeing a one setence statemetn doesnt really give me anything to work with.

MOC88

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

An initiative to bring money into a country whose economy is ailing... these monsters need to be overthrown!

My eyes are open: I think you're just looking for a reason to whinge about it, for the sake of it.

That's exactly the problem with the whole thing, it is designed to get people who this country failed to provide a means of living to come back and provide capital for those who remain.

The Government hasn't done much other than advertise abraod, there is no coherent strategy to provide a good experience or encourage repeat visitors.

I think everyone would have prefered an intiative such as joined up cycle paths / walks across the country. It would be a long term investment that would pay off rather than jsut a once off

Sergeant

MOC88 wrote: »

That's exactly the problem with the whole thing, it is designed to get people who this country failed to provide a means of living to come back and provide capital for those who remain.

An extremely simplistic viewpoint. Yes, it's a sales pitch. It's designed and marketed in such a way that as many people visit Ireland, and spend as much money as possible. This is the purpose of a tourist advertising campaign. To sell the virtues of your country. Many people feel very proud of their Irish heritage, and our tourist board are promoting that.

It's early in the season, but it's looking like a good year for those involved in Irish tourism. Numbers are up, and so is the average spend per visitor. Ireland is being sold as a premium tourist product, and it's working. Satisfaction at surveys conducted at Dublin Airport show that the overwhelming majority of tourists loved: the scenery, culture, food and affordability. Tripadvisor shows that Paddywagon is the most popular guided tour in the world.

Food ranked particularly high. Ireland is fast becoming a destination for 'foodies'. The new wave of modern Irish chefs using produce from the sky, land and sea is making waves in epicurean guidebooks around the world.

Damned negativity.

Dostoevsky

Apologies for not being negative and depressing but...

I spent last weekend at a 'Gathering' event in a small village in Kilkenny. It was brilliant, full of positivity and goodwill and great fun - especially the over 40 hurling match when a bunch of women next to us were in stitches laughing and firing abuse at men, who had more grey hair than Oisín after the fall, who were stumbling around the pitch. The under 10 hurlers were just as much craic, with mothers and fathers going ballistic on the sideline - and the kids just slightly bigger than their camáin. It was a deadly serious business for them, and hugely entertaining for the rest of us.

The entire village was looking better than it had ever done in living memory. Most nights for the previous couple of months a townland of volunteers would clean up an allocated section of the village. That in itself turned into competition and fun between each townland. The County Council was brought in to remove old eyesores and local craftsmen/tradesmen were recruited to do jobs for free. Local farmers got discounts on the bbq meats, and there was no charge for any of it (but donations were very welcome). A museum was established in an old Land League house and locals went up to Dublin to collect interviews with school kids in the parish in the 1930s (stored in the Irish Folklore Commission in UCD), all of whom have relatives in the village today. I was introduced to local people who hadn't seen each other in forty years. There was a lot of emotion and shared memories.

All in all this 'Gathering' event was, for me, a moving display of volunteerism and of community spirit, and I have nothing but admiration for the people who volunteered their time and resources to make that local community a better place. We definitely need more people like that in each of our communities, and fewer begrudgers and naysayers who offer our society nothing constructive.

Sergeant

Dostoevsky wrote: »

Apologies for not being negative and depressing but...

I spent last weekend at a 'Gathering' event in a small village in Kilkenny. It was brilliant, full of positivity and goodwill and great fun - especially the over 40 hurling match when a bunch of women next to us were in stitches laughing and firing abuse at men, who had more grey hair than Oisín after the fall, who were stumbling around the pitch. The under 10 hurlers were just as much craic, with mothers and fathers going ballistic on the sideline - and the kids just slightly bigger than their camáin. It was a deadly serious business for them, and hugely entertaining for the rest of us.

The entire village was looking better than it had ever done in living memory. Most nights for the previous couple of months a townland of volunteers would clean up an allocated section of the village. That in itself turned into competition and fun between each townland. The County Council was brought in to remove old eyesores and local craftsmen/tradesmen were recruited to do jobs for free. Local farmers got discounts on the bbq meats, and there was no charge for any of it (but donations were very welcome). A museum was established in an old Land League house and locals went up to Dublin to collect interviews with school kids in the parish in the 1930s (stored in the Irish Folklore Commission in UCD), all of whom have relatives in the village today. I was introduced to local people who hadn't seen each other in forty years. There was a lot of emotion and shared memories.

All in all this 'Gathering' event was, for me, a moving display of volunteerism and of community spirit, and I have nothing but admiration for the people who volunteered their time and resources to make that local community a better place. We definitely need more people like that in each of our communities, and fewer begrudgers and naysayers who offer our society nothing constructive.

Extremely emotive.

Paddyfield

The Gathering is being credited with increased tourists numbers in Galway this year.

However, I am bemused by RTE's over obsession with dead and living American presidents. What the hell is that all about?

Today, the grand nephew of JFK gave a public speech in Eyre Square to mark the 50th anniversary of a speech given by his grand uncle at the same location. He never even met his grand uncle. I read that there were people were seeking his autograph.

Total cringe

MOC88

Sergeant wrote: »

An extremely simplistic viewpoint. Yes, it's a sales pitch. It's designed and marketed in such a way that as many people visit Ireland, and spend as much money as possible. This is the purpose of a tourist advertising campaign. To sell the virtues of your country. Many people feel very proud of their Irish heritage, and our tourist board are promoting that.

It's early in the season, but it's looking like a good year for those involved in Irish tourism. Numbers are up, and so is the average spend per visitor. Ireland is being sold as a premium tourist product, and it's working. Satisfaction at surveys conducted at Dublin Airport show that the overwhelming majority of tourists loved: the scenery, culture, food and affordability. Tripadvisor shows that Paddywagon is the most popular guided tour in the world.

Food ranked particularly high. Ireland is fast becoming a destination for 'foodies'. The new wave of modern Irish chefs using produce from the sky, land and sea is making waves in epicurean guidebooks around the world.

Damned negativity.

That seems to me a very infantile, off the cuff, patronising comment to make. If you can put something simply you should...

I'm not disagreeing with the fact its a sales pitch and its designed to make money... hold on I must wipe the drool ahnging out of my mouth with all the extremely complicated points you're making...

Yes, you'd expect numbers to be up on the back of an advertising campaign.

Why wouldn't tourists be happy? Ireland is fantastic to visit.

Simply put I'm trying to say that the Gathering is a once off event, granted we might expect higher rates of visitors in the next few years because of it. Of course we might be left with fewer visitors as for many people this is a once off trip that they always intended to make and would have done later in life, instead we will have more one time visitors this year and less so afterwards.

I just think that we should be making long term investments in improving the whole experience not only for the diaspora but those who live here every day. Lets give visitors something more than what we have right now to talk about when they go home. Grow the numbers with a great product not great marketing. Place the emphasis on improving what we can, if there weren't such obvious areas to improve on then I could understand but half the country has tourist spots that are standing idle because a lack of small amounts of funding and emphasis on the same historical sites.

Could you post links the satisfaction surveys from Dublin airport?

I'm not negative for the sake of it, just hate waste and inefficiency.

Hootanany

MOC88 wrote: »

That's exactly the problem with the whole thing, it is designed to get people who this country failed to provide a means of living to come back and provide capital for those who remain.

The Government hasn't done much other than advertise abraod, there is no coherent strategy to provide a good experience or encourage repeat visitors.

I think everyone would have prefered an intiative such as joined up cycle paths / walks across the country. It would be a long term investment that would pay off rather than jsut a once off

I hear yah

fishy fishy

Valetta wrote: »

Complete bullcrap.

Are you really saying we shouldn't encourage tourism and the jobs it brings because in your mind the government will waste any additional taxes?

That's one warped sense if logic.

its is what will happen. tourists come here every year. begging them to come by having this nonsense of a gathering is a pr job to get more money into the country. the ordinary joe soap won't benefit as they will be busy paying all these new taxes to the govt who will, in turn make sure their pensions, and pay and junkets are safe until they walk into the distance and forget everything but their fat cat way of life, which they can afford at the countries expense.

you can call it warped if you like, but its the truth.

I'm sure if somebody had said that these taped conversations were going on in the bank a few months ago, you would have called that warped too.

Ireland is warped - it is run by a warped boys club. don't you know that.

fishy fishy

Valetta wrote: »

They're completely separate issues. It's like saying we should stop trying to promote indigenous industries because some councillor in ballygobackwards fiddled his mileage claim.

Makes no sense whatsoever.

not separate at all valetta - you need to open your eyes to what is going on in this banana republic.

fishy fishy

Paddyfield wrote: »

The Gathering is being credited with increased tourists numbers in Galway this year.

However, I am bemused by RTE's over obsession with dead and living American presidents. What the hell is that all about?

Today, the grand nephew of JFK gave a public speech in Eyre Square to mark the 50th anniversary of a speech given by his grand uncle at the same location. He never even met his grand uncle. I read that there were people were seeking his autograph.

Total cringe

yes, all the "suits" were out to grovel. the sensible ones just threw their eyes up and kept walking.

Guill

My local gathering: Egg and spoon race at the local GAA pitch with a sign saying "The Gathering". Load of bollox. Organisation committee get money if they get a certain amount of tourist to say they are here for the gathering. I've actually seen people asking random tourist to sign to say that it was their gathering festival that got them to come to Ireland. Embarrassing bull****. While i've seen some towns do wonderful jobs I can't help but notice the majority are just posting signs around the towns and going on the beer.

gobnaitolunacy

Paddyfield wrote: »

The Gathering is being credited with increased tourists numbers in Galway this year.

However, I am bemused by RTE's over obsession with dead and living American presidents. What the hell is that all about?

Today, the grand nephew of JFK gave a public speech in Eyre Square to mark the 50th anniversary of a speech given by his grand uncle at the same location. He never even met his grand uncle. I read that there were people were seeking his autograph.

Total cringe

You wouldn't mind if it were a real live person, but all the deference and pomp shown to a bloody miner's lamp smacks of a visit of a set of religious relics.:rolleyes:

Do Americans fall for that sentimental rubbish all the time? Would the visit of a 'flame' get US tourists off their butts just to visit us?

Hootanany

Did the Flame not come from the USA

Femme_Fatale

So the big concern is the "cringey" stuff - this apparently eclipses the benefits to the ailing Irish economy. I just ignore the cringey stuff meself; it's actually very easy to do so.

Hootanany wrote: »

I hear yah

Your contributions to this thread are Wildean stuff.

SuperGrover

The Gathering are you ashamed

This statement makes no sense to me.

Hootanany

Why comment then

fishy fishy

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

So the big concern is the "cringey" stuff - this apparently eclipses the benefits to the ailing Irish economy. I just ignore the cringey stuff meself; it's actually very easy to do so.

Your contributions to this thread are Wildean stuff.

no its not the cringe stuff. Its the way joe soaps will fall for any old tripe, not realizing when they are being made eejits of. They'd fall for anything. More reasons to laugh at us as a nation - and when we start "worshiping" a lantern and a relation of a president of another country who never even met that presidents -it really does get embarrassing.

Femme_Fatale

fishy fishy wrote: »

Its the way joe soaps will fall for any old tripe, not realizing when they are being made eejits of.

In the case of The Gathering, what? Isn't it pretty transparent what's being done?