With the dawn of the new year comes the beginning of “The Gathering Ireland 2013,” a major marketing effort by the government of Ireland to encourage Irish Americans to visit the island this year to reconnect with their roots.

The Gathering was launched by the Irish Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and Minister for Tourism last May and is being supported by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. It is expected to be the biggest tourism initiative ever staged on the island. The Gathering is not a single event; it’s an exciting year-long celebration of Ireland, its people, and all that is great about its connections, both at home and abroad. The Gathering Ireland invites anyone who has a link to Ireland, or just a love of the country, to visit Ireland for a series of events throughout the new year.  

There will be clan gatherings, festivals, special sporting events, music, and concerts taking place all across the country, and all year long. Cities, towns and villages throughout the country will showcase and share the very best of Irish culture, tradition, business, sport, fighting spirit, and the uniquely Irish sense of fun.

Over 70 million people worldwide claim Irish ancestry. The Gathering Ireland 2013 provides an opportunity to current residents to reach out to those who have moved away, their relatives, friends and descendants, and invite them home.

Dubbed  “The People’s Party,” the event was set to kick off in spectacular style at the New Year’s Eve Festival in Dublin. There are two main types of events:

• Gatherings – These are being hosted by the people of Ireland. A gathering can be as little as an invitation to an old school friend to visit Ireland in 2013, or the local GAA club asking a Boston GAA team to come over for a match.

• Festivals and events – The celebration will bring together hundreds of festivals and events throughout Ireland that celebrate the best in Irish music, art, literature, dance, culture, heritage, sport, film and food. The Gathering Ireland’s first sponsorship was The Emerald Isle Classic, the football game between Notre Dame and Navy played in Dublin’s Aviva last September.

Typical of the efforts being developed in Ireland is the recently released 2013 calendar being sold by the County of Mayo on Ireland’s West Coast. The website mayo.ie sponsored a competition for photos from around the Mayo. The winning images and a selection of other photos were compiled into a 2013 calendar, along with listings of some of the county’s Gathering 2013 events and snippets of information on historical dates of significance to those with a Mayo connection. The calendars are available for sale online at mayobooks.ie.

Tourism Ireland suggests, “Whether visiting Ireland is on your bucket list or you’ve been before and always wanted to return, why not make 2013 your year to visit? Maybe you have an Irish name or relative? Or you enjoy taking part in an Irish hobby? Maybe you’ve studied or worked in Ireland or maybe you simply love the music or literature? 2013 is the perfect year to come to Ireland and experience the céad míle fáilte (one hundred thousand welcomes) that the Irish are famous for.

“Take a look at TheGatheringIreland.com and see if any gatherings or festivals match your interests. Like soul music? Time your visit to coincide with Dublin City Soul Festival. Love running? Why not take part in the Great Ireland Run? It’s totally up to you!

Families and clans are meeting all over the country and Ireland’s favorite festivals have developed exciting new programs to help visitors truly be part of it. If you’re planning an event for 2013, plan on having it in Ireland.