Irish Tourism - Genealogy and ancestry

www.Ireland.com with some thoughts from Turtle Bunbury

From Ireland to the world: an island’s secret success stories It’s estimated that 70 million people worldwide claim Irish ancestry, and as historian and writer Turtle Bunbury discovered through his Wistorical project, some of them are very famous indeed

"The thing about the Irish is that we get absolutely everywhere. From the Arctic Circle to the jungles of South America, from New York to New Delhi, Australia to Zanzibar … there’s an Irish twist in every instance.

The extraordinary impact of the Irish upon this globe became apparent to me during a 15-year stint I spent as a travel writer. Admittedly, some places were stretching their "Irish connection" – I recall an Irish pub in Cambodia whose "Irish" credentials boiled down to a tattered Tricolour draped over the door, and a half bottle of Jameson on the back bar – but, nonetheless, the links to the green isle that I discovered during that time were far and wide.

During the year of The Gathering Ireland, the time is ripe to explore Ireland’s effect on the globe.

• Walt Disney’s statue in Florida. provided by Michael Sult
• Elvis Presley’s star in L.A

Ever since I launched Wistorical at the end of November 2012, I’ve been astounded by the sheer volume of tales about the brave, brilliant and frequently bonkers people of Ireland, or of Irish origin, who have stood out from the ranks and made a difference to this world.

Barack Obama and George Clooney are both descended from those who upped and left Ireland shortly after the Great Famine. Barack Obama’s Irish ancestors include a wig-maker and a shoemaker, while George Clooney’s forebears were stonemasons connected to the Ormond Slate Quarry near Tullahought"  for full report:-

 http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/what-is-available/genealogy-and-ancestry/articles/the-gathering-wistorical