This sounds like fun. Leitrim Roots Festival 2013 Leitrim Genealogy Centre is organising a fourth Leitrim Roots Festival for September 2013. The Centre was set up in 1986 to deal with enquiries from people who wished to trace their Leitrim ancestry and is the official genealogy service for County Leitrim. We are part of the Irish Family History Foundation's network of Centre's throughout Ireland and we provide a full time professional genealogy service for County Leitrim. The difficulty faced by many people who travelled from many lands to trace their Leitrim ancestors was that source material was scattered throughout the County and elsewhere. In the years since the foundation of the Centre we have been collecting, indexing and computerising all the major sources for family history research, work that continues at present. It is estimated that there are one million people in the United States alone, with Leitrim Ancestry. It is hard to believe that a county with a population of over 31,000 people could have such extensive links with another country. There are also large numbers in England, Canada and Australia with Leitrim ancestry. The Leitrim Roots Festival is different to other festivals and coach tours because it is a festival of Heritage and Culture with a strong emphasizes on Genealogy. Visitors will be guided around the county of which their ancestors came from, visiting sites of interests and sites of relevance. It is a week long programme where they will engage with the local communities and find out more about the county their ancestors came from. This Festival will also be attractive to people who wish to have a genuine Irish experience. >From research that was conducted through previous such events it was evident that people wanted more of a cultural experience, to meet more locals and be a part of Leitrim for the duration of their stay. The programme for 2013 will tick all these boxes with a day specifically set aside for people to meet with locals relevant to the area of their ancestors. People who were born in Leitrim will also find this festival of great interest, it is often said that many Leitrim people do not know their own county well enough and the many things there are to see and experience in the County. This is a key event to highlight "Leitrim" to people overseas and also fits in very well with the Failte Ireland The Gathering initiative which is all about inviting the Irish Diaspora overseas to return for a visit. The benefits of this Festival are countywide as the programme will take in many towns and villages over the 9 day period. This festival is also about creating awareness of what Leitrim has to offer so that people who may not be able to attend at the time of the festival will be encouraged to visit at another time. The Festival will take place from 20th September 2013 to 28th September 2013. A sample of events include:- * Arigna Mining Experience * Hurling expo * Visit to Genealogy Centre * St. Georges Heritage Centre Carrick on Shannon * Storytelling at Sean Mac Diarmada Homestead * Folk evening at Carrigallen * Trip down memory lane with Showband stars For any further information please contact:- Leitrim Genealogy Centre, Main Street, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, Eire Telephone: 00353(0)719644012. Email: [email protected] Or the offices of Leitrim Tourism who are a partner in this event:- Leitrim Tourism, The Barrel Store, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim Telephone: 00353(0)719620170. E-mail: [email protected] There will be an early booking discount facility available, details of which will be published shortly. Yours sincerely IFHF ----------------------------------------------------------------- Irish Family History Foundation, Main St. Newbridge, Co. Kildare., Email: [email protected]