Wicklow Fine Gael TD, Andrew Doyle has welcomed students from New Brunswick in Canada to Greystones, Co. Wicklow today (Thursday) as part of The Gathering 2013. In Greystones, the students met with the Mayor of Greystones Town Council, the Chair of Wicklow Tourism and the organiser of ‘Canada Come Home’, Lynne Reece Loftus.
“As part of The Gathering 2013, one of the key events taking place within the county is called ‘Canada Come Home’, set to take place in Shillelagh later this year. As part of the run-up to the event, many Canadian delegations will be visiting the county in the months to see what County Wicklow has to offer.”
“The students from New Brunswick were in Greystones today for a rugby match against the local secondary school, St. David’s. Both Ireland and Canada share strong cultural and educational links, and as part of The Gathering, this is an excellent opportunity for Wicklow to capitalise on.”
“Accompanying the school on this visit to Ireland was the Tourism Director for their region, who also got to see Wicklow first hand, and I hope he will bring this home with him, and be able to encourage more Canadian visitors to come and visit County Wicklow.”
“The Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar has been working proactively in this area, and we are now beginning to see the number of tourists coming to Ireland beginning to grow once again, and hopefully figures to be released in the near future will bring this to light.”
“The rugby match between Miramichi Valley High School and St. David’s Secondary ended with a substantial win (30-7) for the home side in Greystones this afternoon. I’d like to thank Pat Dempsey and Phil Mooney for organising today’s event.”
“Also on this visit, the Canadian delegation is getting a tour of the Aviva Stadium tomorrow (Friday) thanks to the efforts of Greystones Rugby Club, who are celebrating their 75th anniversary this weekend. They’ll also be meeting the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland at their embassy before returning home.”
“I am looking forward to the ‘Canada Come Home’ Gathering event taking place in Wicklow later this year, and already visiting delegations from Canada are seeing the strong connection between Canada and County Wicklow”, concluded Deputy Doyle.