Manchester to press the green button on Home to Mayo 2022 UK launch
Mayo Manchester Tourism & Business Group is ready to 'press the green button' to encourage the diaspora to start booking their visit back home for the forthcoming Home to Mayo 2022 festival, running from May 1 to 31 next year.
For the launch, the award-winning group have teamed up with the Levenshulme Festival, the newly opened Irish Embassy in Manchester and Tourism Ireland as well as a number of Mayo hotels to arrange two free Irish concerts on Friday, October 29, in Levenshulme village.
The concerts at the popular Union Irish Music Bar and Fred's Ale House will feature Joe Keegan from the BBC TV show The Voice and Niamh Finan whose parents have a house in Downpatrick overlooking Dun Briste in north Mayo.
They have even got the 'Voice of Old Trafford' – Alan Keegan from Manchester United FC – involved with the festival in Mayo.
Joe Keegan, who has just finished supporting Nathan Carter at the sold out Craic on the Creek festival, will be performing with the Royal Northern College of Music fiddle player Grainne White at the Union Irish Music Bar.
Niamh Finan, who is an Irish singer songwriter and accomplished Irish dancer and actor, will be performing next door at Fred’s Ale House in Levenshulme village, south Manchester.
Mayo Manchester Business & Tourism Group has been working with Achill Island Hotel and the Broadhaven Bay Hotel, Belmullet, to give visitors to the concerts a chance to win a free holiday in Mayo on the night.
Meanwhile, Mayo Manchester are to stage their award-winning Mayo Manchester Tradfest from May 23 to 30 in Mayo next year as one of the flagship events of the month-long Home to Mayo Festival.
The week-long traditional Irish music, song and dance festival hopes to feature 100 performers from Mayo and Manchester at 100 events. The events will take place all over Mayo, from Attymass and Ballina in the north to Ashford Castle and Cong in the south to Claremorris in the east and Westport and Achill in the west.
Tony Hennigan, group CEO, said: “We are delighted to be involved in Mayo.ie's historic event. We hope the festival attracts the Mayo diaspora from all over the world. Everyone is really excited about coming home to Mayo in Manchester and the hotels in Mayo have been really supportive.
“We are planning another series of events at the Manchester Irish Festival in March and the award-winning Ashford Castle, who are one of our venues for our festival in May, have offered us a fantastic prize, along with Ballina’s Ice House Hotel. Tourism Ireland have become a partner for the event as part of their UK tourism campaign called Push The Green Button, which includes a national TV campaign to encourage people in the UK to take their holidays in Ireland.”
Mr. Hennigan said that the line-up of performers and venues for the Mayo Manchester Tradfest festival in Mayo during the last week of May is being finalised. Anyone who would like to get involved can contact the group on mayomanchester@gmail.com or 0044 791 251 2977, or visit www.mayomanchester.com.