**Important Notice to Irish Passport holders**

Welcome! Tervetuloa! Välkommen!

I am delighted to welcome you to the website of our Embassy which I hope you will find useful and informative. In addition to providing information on the services provided by the Embassy, it is a source of information on Ireland and Finland alike and on the links between our two countries.

H.E. Dermot Brangan
Ireland's Ambassador to Finland

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Tá áthas orm fáilte a chur romhat chuig láithreán gréasáin ár n-ambasáide agus tá súil agam go mbeidh sé úsáideach agus faisnéiseach duit.  I dteannta le soláthar eolais maidir leis na seirbhísí a chuireann an Ambasáid ar fáil, is foinse eolais é ar Éirinn agus ar an bhFionlainn agus ar na naisc atá idir an dá thír.

H.E. Dermot Brangan
Ireland's Ambassador to Finland

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Halutessasi tietoa suomeksi, ole hyvä ja soita +358 9 646 006

För information på svenska, var vänlig och ring +358 9 646 006

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Dear Member of the Irish Community and Friends of Ireland,

I am writing to inform you about a significant project which is underway in Ireland called “The Gathering Ireland 2013”.  The Gathering is a year-long celebration of everything great & unique about Ireland.   It is an opportunity to join a countrywide, citizen-led initiative to invite our Diasporas from around the world to join and support Ireland in 2013.  The Diasporas I am referring to include those who have an affinity with Ireland – either through music, business connections or because they may have studied or lived in Ireland in the past. 

The year-long event aims to attract as many as 325,000 extra visitors to Ireland. This significant increase in visitor numbers would generate €170 million in revenue to the Irish economy in 2013.

How can we help make it a success?

At this stage I am asking you to think about what you can do to support The Gathering.  Do you have an opportunity to bring your event, family gathering, party, music group, golf group, conference, meeting, friends or family to Ireland in 2013?  No event is too small.  If you bring 3 friends to Ireland in 2013 you are playing your part.  If you have an opportunity of doing something bigger – even better!

I am regularly asked by Irish friends how they can help Ireland in these challenging times.  Now we have an “Ask” and everyone can play their part. As well as asking you to “Do your Bit” for Ireland I can stand over the fact that you will be experiencing Ireland at her authentic best in 2013.  To support this year long calendar of “Gatherings” in Ireland – will be a wonderful schedule of festivals and events.  Most of them you will have heard about before – but for 2013 they will be bigger, better and have something extra special.  The flagship events will be announced on 16^th April next.

There is a website which will explains in some detail what The Gathering is all about and I would encourage you to sign up to be alerted to events as they unravel.  It will also in time provide you with supports and a toolkit to help you organise your “Gathering” however that presents itself www.thegatheringireland.com  As always you will find any amount of information about how to plan your entire holiday to Ireland on www.discoverireland.com

I look forward to hearing about your Gatherings for 2013 over the coming months and if there is anything Tourism Ireland - Rikke Aagaard Petersen: Publicity & Trade Marketing Executive (RPetersen@tourismireland.com), Maarit Kärkkäinen: eMarketing & Trade Executive (MKarkkainen@tourismireland.com) or I can do to help please let us know. 

Yours sincerely,
Dermot Brangan
Ambassador