Mayo takes centre stage at Milwaukee Irish Festival to boost Irish-American links
Members of Mayo County Council have travelled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the largest Irish festival in the United States.
Held from August 14th to 17th, the event attracted over 100,000 attendees and featured more than 100 musical and cultural acts across 18 stages.
Mayo County Council have taken part in the festival for a number of years, promoting the county for tourism and business, and connecting with the Irish diaspora.
This year, councillors Ger Deere, Blackie Gavin and Adrian Forkan were joined by Mags Connell from the communications department, and tourism officer Maura Murphy, to showcase what Mayo has to offer.
“We were non-stop busy with people coming up to us, trying to trace their ancestors, and many said to us, ‘We’re coming back to Ireland’, which was great to see,” said Cllr Deere
“There were lots of young people, third or fourth generation Irish, who wanted to come back to Ireland on their holidays. Lots said they were into activities and water sports. What better place for them to visit than the Wild Atlantic Way?"
Cllr Deere said that the Irish stands were the busiest during the event: “The Irish do it so well, all the different nationalities have stalls but everyone says the Irish one is the biggest. People were queuing up all day to get into it. Everything Irish they love, I really saw the benefit of Mayo being represented at the event, and it's going to translate into tourists coming to the county.”
One issue that was raised during the festival was the rising cost of MRV (Machine Readable Visas) for foreign artists performing in America. Dublin-based band Kíla brought the issue up to Cllr Deere. Artists performing in the U.S can now be charged around $3000 for the MRV, in 2017, the cost was $1900.
“That's going to have a huge impact on festivals like this one because artists won’t be able to afford to come over. They’ll have to use non-Irish acts,” warned Cllr Deere.
“A lot of the artists have asked us to try and lobby against that. In some cases, half the band might get the visa and the other half won't, so they can't go then, and they’ve lost money. We wouldn't have known that, it was only because we were at the festival and the artists approached us.”
Cllr Deere also plans to propose a motion encouraging every council to appoint a diaspora officer, aiming to deepen relationships with Irish nationals abroad and promote tourism.
“I think it's something for every county to look into, especially along the Western sea border, where we have a strong history of immigration. We have something there that if we just worked on it a little bit, we could really increase tourism.”
He reflected on the broader impact of strengthening diaspora ties: “Maybe it’ll give people another look at the topic of immigration here at the moment. We were the same all those years ago,” he said, “My mother and father went to England, my aunts on my mothers side were from Carlow, most of them went to America and they had very tough times. They got on with it, worked hard, and educated themselves. Just like what is happening here with immigrants moving to Mayo. There’s not much difference, you know.”
Councillors also met with Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland to the U.S., to discuss tariffs and their impact on Irish businesses, particularly pharmaceutical companies in Mayo, such as AbbVie, which produces Botox and recently faced 15pc tariffs on exports.
Despite the serious conversations, there were lighter moments at the festival. Cllr Deere recalled a funny moment at the Mayo stall: “A lady came into the stall, she didn’t have any Mayo connections, she came in and asked us, 'Mayo, does that have anything to do with Mayonnaise?’ We told her Mayonnaise was invented in Ireland in a place called Lahardane.
“Then a couple of days later she came back and said, ‘Oh my God, I never realised Mayonnaise was invented in Ireland, and in Mayo.’ If it brings her on a holiday here, then that’s okay.”
Martina Hughes, Head of Corporate Development and Communications at Mayo County Council, outlined the importance of the Mayo County Council’s involvement in Milwaukee annually: "The Milwaukee Irish Fest offers Mayo County Council a unique opportunity to connect with the Mayo and greater Irish Diaspora in the United States,
“By having a presence at this event, it allows us to engage directly with tens of thousands of potential tourists to the county, showcasing our unique tourism offering, including the stunning scenery, rugged coastline, historical sites and cultural experiences,
“It also allows Mayo County Council a significant opportunity to engage in networking and business meetings with business and political representatives to promote Mayo as a location for business and opportunities to forge new relationships with numerous cities and counties in the United States.”
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.