Kingdom of Midhe Tourism Network to meet in Kells

The next meeting of the Kingdom of Midhe Tourism Network takes place this Thursday evening, June 8, at 7.30pm in the Headfort Arms Hotel, Kells, County Meath, and all are welcome.

The chairperson of the network Chris Murphy said: “As a Kells native, I’m delighted to be able to invite all those with an interest in promoting our heritage to such a landmark venue for the region. The Headfort is one of the finest family owned hotels in Ireland, and is another great example of the first-class services this region offers.

“The primary objective of the Kingdom of Midhe network is to complement these longstanding businesses, and help develop new ones, by presenting the depth and wealth of history and heritage we can offer to the millions of overseas visitors seeking just such an experience.

“All descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, more than a dozen of Ireland’s most influential high kings were born and lived between the Boyne and the Blackwater during the monastic golden age, before Brian Boru took the high kingship and ended five centuries of the Kingdom of Midhe’s dominance over Ireland.

“Their legacy is all around us, and for the millions of old Irish families around the world with no knowledge of their exact Irish ancestry, the Kingdom of Midhe, the middle kingdom, with its amazing history, landscape, sites, services and activities, is ready to welcome them home for the holiday of a lifetime among their own.

“Great work is already being done on the ground on a local level, in Kells, by groups like Discover Kells, and similar networks are growing around the region. Our aim is to work together, to bring back to life the Kingdom of Midhe, a real identity, a place and a community that ticks all the boxes for local and long-haul visitors alike.”

This is the latest meeting of the Tourism Network that was born out of a series of well attended town hall style community meetings held over the winter and spring across Cavan, Meath and Westmeath. The Tourism Network have recently been incorporated as company status and have a full committee representative of the region.

“By crossing county boundaries which are not recognised by tourists and also crossing Fáilte Ireland marketing regions, we hope that the Kingdom of Midhe Tourism Network will represent and promote tourism activity in areas that fall through the cracks currently. We work with a lot of community development groups in highlighting activity and heritage and seek to bring it to market in an aspirational way,” said Kingdom of Midhe secretary, Bartle D’Arcy.

The meeting is on Thursday June 8 at 7.30pm in the Headfort Arms, Kells.