‘Visit Mayo’ is message to Milwaukee Irish Festival
Mayo has been strongly represented at the largest Irish Festival in the world when the Milwaukee Irish Fest saw over 100,000 guests descend on Henry W. Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A delegation from Mayo County Council, led by cathaoirleach Councillor Michael Loftus, Councillor Damien Ryan and Councillor Michael Burke, were on hand at the festival to promote all that is good about Mayo as a tourism destination and county that is open to investment.
They also attended several stakeholder meetings over the course of a busy weekend including an official gathering at City Hall alongside their counterparts from Donegal County Council, Clare County Council, Galway County and City Council, Fingal County Council and also Limerick County Council.
Councillor Loftus spoke about the importance of the trip. He stated: “Selling Mayo as a tourism and investment location is one of the most important things we do as councillors.
"The Milwaukee Irish Fest is the largest festival of its kind in the world, and it allowed us to not only promote Mayo as a tourist destination to over 100,000 people, it let us to make valuable connections with our Diaspora in the USA to spread the word that Mayo is open and waiting for them to come.”
Mayo County Council had a promotional stand located in the Irish destinations area of the festival alongside Leitrim County Council, Donegal County Council and Galway City and County Councils.
At this stand they engaged in the promotion of Mayo. There were many visitors, but the Mayo Diaspora were out in force and the Irish Destinations areas was a sea of green and red for much of the weekend.
Also, part of the Mayo County Council delegation were Mags Connell, administrative officer, Mayo communications department, and Eleanor Hussey from the Local Enterprise Office, who represented Mayo County Council for the duration of the festival promoting Mayo and all that it has to offer.
They also were busy spreading the Mayo Day and Home to Mayo message, with Mayo Day celebrating its tenth birthday next year they were on hand to speak with many visitors to Mayo County Council’s stand and hear about their plans to visit in 2024 and inform them of the Home to Mayo competition where there is a chance to win flights home to Mayo during the month of May.
On the music stages Mayo was well represented with five artists and groups, with world champion fiddle player Eileen Ivers, Lisa Canny and her band, Boxing Banjo, Enda Reilly and The Glencastle Dancers all putting on stunning sets.
The full complement of Mayo artists came together on the Aer Lingus main stage of the festival for a rousing rendition of the Green and Red of Mayo in front of a jam-packed crowd.