Westmeath Gathering to be launched this evening

The official launch of The Gathering in Westmeath will take place this evening at County Buildings in Mullingar. A total of 39 Gathering events will receive funding in Westmeath under the nationwide €2m IPB Gathering Ireland Fund. Details of the gatherings were announced by Michael Ring, TD, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport recently. The gatherings, divided into key county flagship events and community gatherings are funded as a result of a €1M philanthropic donation by IPB Insurance that was matched by the Gathering Ireland in response to the enormous interest expressed nationwide in the tourism initiative. The overall total of 39 funded events in Westmeath is made up of three flagship events and 36 local community events. The flagship events in Westmeath are: The Festival of the Fires - Hill of Uisneach on May 5 and 6; The Joe Dolan International Westmeath Batchelor Festival - in Mullingar on August 2, 3 and 4 and The Pan European GAA Championships in Athlone on October 18 and 19. County Manager Danny McLoughlin said: "I am delighted on behalf of the Westmeath local authorities to have a supporting role in the Gathering 2013 initiative. All of the gathering events will happen primarily because of the extraordinary local community effort and backing for the Gathering Initiative, which together with the funding and corporate support promises positive outcomes for everyone. The Westmeath Flagship events are going to be the highlights in what is a compelling Westmeath Calendar of Events and no doubt there will be a special Westmeath welcome afforded to all visitors to the county in the year ahead."