Cavan County Council set about developing a Diaspora Engagement Strategy in early 2017.  Recent initiatives such as The Gathering have demonstrated how local communities can make global connections and tap into the diaspora’s strong attachment to county, town and local community.

• View the Diaspora Engagement Strategy (pdf, 3.6 Mb)

Historically, Irish people have always left home to create new lives in other lands. Major events, from famine to economic strife, have resulted in generations of mass emigration, a phenomenon experienced once again in the past decade due to the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. The result is that this small island, with a population of just over six million people, has generated a diaspora of an estimated 70+ million people who claim to have a direct connection to Irish Ancestry.  In the past seventy years, there have been three major periods of substantial emigration from Ireland, in the 1950s, the 1980s, and most recently in 2013.  

Countless books have been written, songs and poems created, websites developed and social media platforms launched - all to provide ways to tell the stories of Irish identity from home and abroad. 

Cavan’s people are its greatest asset - economically, culturally and socially. We are  committed to celebrating the considerable achievements of the county’s citizens past and present on a global level, with success stories in realms as diverse as entertainment, sports, business and hospitality.  We are equally committed to supporting the activities of future generations of Cavan achievers, and empowering their role as change agents in our country’s future.