This article is from page 18 of the 2006-10-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
CLARE people living in America are being urged to return home and help fuel the local economy. The Western Development Commission (WDC) is hosting a conference in New York later this week where they are hoping to attract hundreds of ex-pats to return to the Banner.
The conference, which takes place this Friday and Saturday, is organised jointly by the WDC and FÁS Jobs Ireland and is aimed specifically at Clare people and people from the western region in general, who have immigrated to the US and may be thinking of a return.
“We are asking that people throughout Clare who have friends and families in the US, tell them about the event where we can inform them about the opportunities available,” said Gillian Buckley, CEO of the WDC.
“Many of those Irish living in the States may not realise that the West of Ireland has changed dramatically in recent years. Over 40,000 people have moved into the seven western county region over the past four years.”
One of the main aspects of the conference will be the American launch of the www. lookwest.ie which has had received more than 100,000 hits in the short time since its creation.
“LookWest can show them how much more towns like Ennis has to offer,” continued Ms Buckley.
The FÁS Jobs Ireland event will takes place on October 20 and 21 at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel in New York.