Press Release
16th
June 2015
Ireland Reaching Out launches new enhanced website (IrelandXO.com) for
Irish Diaspora at Iveagh House
Ireland Reaching Out, a
nationwide Diaspora programme that connects people of Irish heritage around the
world to their ancestral parishes and counties in Ireland, launched its new enhanced
website today. This new
international Irish Diaspora
resource was announced by Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Diaspora Affairs at
a reception at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Headquarters, Iveagh
House, Dublin
Dublin; June 16th 2015: A new enhanced website was launched today by
Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO). Ireland Reaching Out connects people of
Irish heritage around the world to their ancestral parishes and counties in
Ireland, enabling them to celebrate, and nurture, our shared cultural identity
and heritage with local Irish communities.
The new website, IrelandXO.com, has a
contemporary look and feel, and has
been built using the latest in community engagement software. It offers every local community in
Ireland an enhanced parish profile and platform
from which to reach out to, and reconnect with their global Diaspora. The
functionality beneath the design will
enable new features and services to be offered. The new site has been built by Dara Creative, an award
winning Dublin-based web design and consultancy agency.
The theme for the
redesign of IrelandXO.com is “Awaken Your Irish Spirit”, which
speaks to all of the global Diaspora – both the “Deep Diaspora” whose ancestors are long gone
from Irish shores and also recent emigrants who can remain involved with their
parish of origin while abroad, through the website.
Announcing the launch today, Minister Deenihan said:
Announcing the launch today, Minister Deenihan said:
“ Ireland
XO has been a pioneer in engaging our local communities to connect with the
Irish Diaspora abroad.
The
Ireland XO approach to bringing engagement with our Diaspora to the heart of
our communities brings a very personal and meaningful aspect to this
relationship. I am delighted that through support from the Emigrant
Support Programme, the Government has been on this journey with Ireland XO.
I would like to congratulate the Ireland XO team on the launch of their new website which is a wonderful resource for everyone interested in Irish heritage. And I would also like to wish the team and the many committed Ireland XO volunteers continued success in their work.”
Chairperson and Founder of Ireland Reaching Out Mike Feerick said:
I would like to congratulate the Ireland XO team on the launch of their new website which is a wonderful resource for everyone interested in Irish heritage. And I would also like to wish the team and the many committed Ireland XO volunteers continued success in their work.”
Chairperson and Founder of Ireland Reaching Out Mike Feerick said:
“The launching of the Ireland XO
new website is a milestone for the organisation. It will now be easier than
ever for Irish parish-based volunteers and our Diaspora worldwide to connect.
It is a foundation upon which we can build deeper long-lasting relationships
between Ireland and its Diaspora.”
The launch took place
in Iveagh House, Dublin and was attended by Ireland Reaching Out Volunteers,
members of Government, National Library of Ireland staff, local County Council
representatives and friends from all over Ireland and abroad.
Ends
Note to Editor
Ireland Reaching
Out (www.Irelandxo.com) is a nationwide Diaspora programme aiming to reconnect
70 million Irish Diaspora by providing a platform where all people of Irish
descent can research and discover their ancestral history, develop
relationships with people in their parish of origin and engage with the wider
Diaspora community.
The Ireland XO programme focuses on two concepts:
Firstly, reverse genealogy, where every village and parish countrywide
identifies who left their area and community, and traces them and their
descendants, inviting them to return to Ireland and connect with their place of
origin. Secondly, “Meet & Greet”, where Ireland XO organises and trains
volunteers to welcome returning Diaspora to their local communities. This free
volunteer-based service enables returning Diaspora to visit the houses their
people were born in, the land they farmed, graves of family members and if
possible, meet living relatives in the area, enabling vibrant lifelong
connections to be established.
Ireland Reaching Out has over 3,500 dedicated volunteers active in Irish
parishes and abroad. The Ireland XO website welcomed its one millionth visitor
in 2014.
Ireland Reaching Out is a non-profit organisation and is funded by the
Department of Foreign Affairs and The Heritage Council.
For Further Information please contact:
Laura Colleran
+ 353 (0)89 4727860
