Sunday, June 21, 2015

Ireland Reaching Out launches new enhanced website (IrelandXO.com) for Irish Diaspora at Iveagh House







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:  
“ 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:
“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