If you're Irish, come to The Gathering

A century ago, Shaun Glenville and Fred Godfrey said if you're Irish, come into the parlour. This year, if you're Irish, you're invited to The Gathering.

Although Fred Godfrey was not an Irishman, Shaun Glenville was. The Irish contribution to contemporary music may not be quite as impressive as the British and American ones, but along with the late, great Rory Gallagher, the still very much alive Bob Geldof and a few dozen or a few hundred others, it ain't bad! The Irish contribution to world culture is considerable in other fields, and this year it is being celebrated in The Gathering, which is already underway. Among those present will be RTÉ Radio, festivals and sporting events including surfing. Surfing in Ireland? Strange but true. Doubtless many famous people of Irish descent will also be "coming home", which begs the question, will the man in the White House turn up, because as the Corrigan Brothers told us back in 2008, There's No One As Irish As Barack Obama. If either he, or former president Bill Clinton do decide to drop in, they will be given a warm welcome, because Irish hospitality is as renowned as Southern hospitality. Now if only the warring white tribes of this divided nation would stop killing each other.