The Emigrant's Walk

04/09/2026

Two years of Gorta today ☘️

After spending time in Milwaukee last month sharing our stories of emigration and the Great Hunger with the Irish diaspora, it feels particularly fitting to be celebrating two years since Gorta opened its doors here in Swatragh.

Very proud to have been part of this story from the beginning, and even more proud to see how it continues to grow and connect with visitors from home and further afield.

Happy 2nd birthday Gorta! 🎂☘️

21/08/2026

One story. Different chapters.

Working alongside the team from EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum at Milwaukee Irish Fest highlighted a strong connection.

At Gorta, Swatragh’s Famine Story, we explore one rural community during An Gorta Mór.

The Emigrant’s Walk takes that story into the landscape and the deeply human experience of leaving home.

At EPIC, those journeys continue through the stories of the Irish diaspora around the world.

From the places they left, to the journeys they made, to the lives they built.
From departure to diaspora.

It was a real pleasure sharing stories and ideas in Milwaukee and looking forward to continuing the conversation back home. ☘️🌎

19/08/2026

From Carntogher to Milwaukee… and home again. 🇮🇪🇺🇸

What an experience Milwaukee Irish Fest has been.

To take The Emigrant’s Walk across the Atlantic and share the stories of our landscape, our people and generations of emigration with an Irish-American audience felt incredibly special

But I wasn’t just there to talk about one experience.

I had the opportunity to share so much of what we have here in Mid Ulster. From Gorta: Swatragh’s Famine Story and Friels, to An Carn, Walsh’s, Loughinsholin and the wider area — and to encourage visitors to see Mid Ulster not simply as somewhere to pass through, but as somewhere to stay, explore and use as a base for discovering more of the North.

Some of my favourite moments were the conversations: hearing where people's families came from, what they knew about their Irish ancestry and, sometimes, how little pieces of those stories had survived across generations.
It reminded me exactly why these stories matter.

A huge thank you to Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland for the opportunity and support, and to everyone I worked alongside and met in Milwaukee.

I’ve come home with plenty of ideas, new connections and an even stronger belief in the stories we have to share from this little corner of Ireland. ☘️

From Mid Ulster to Milwaukee and hopefully back again. ❤️

Friels bar and restaurant Gorta Swatragh's Famine Story An Carn Walsh's Hotel Visit Mid Ulster Tourism Ireland Discover Northern Ireland

19/08/2026

Great to meet the Mayor of Derry & Strabane in Milwaukee ☘️🇺🇸 So lovely to see Derry Halloween getting the international spotlight it deserves 🎃✨

15/08/2026

Day 3 at Milwaukee Irish Fest 🇮🇪🇺🇸☘️

A little piece of Carntogher has made it all the way to Milwaukee!

It’s been incredible meeting so many people with Irish roots, hearing where their families came from and sharing the story behind The Emigrant’s Walk.
There’s something very special about telling stories of those who left Ireland, here in the country so many of them made their new home. ❤️

If your family came from Ireland, do you know where their journey began? Tourism Ireland

02/06/2026

29/05/2026

What a week! 🌞
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Colin family from Canada on The Emigrant’s Walk. It was wonderful to see visitors travel so far to explore the history and heritage of Mid Ulster.
On Tuesday, I joined John and his family from the USA on an ancestry tour with Stephen McCracken. Together we climbed Carnotogher Mountain, where their ancestors would have taken one last look at home before emigrating to America — a moving and unforgettable experience.
Wednesday brought another very special group tour, with thanks to BCRC for organising. Exploring our history reminds us that stories of migration, identity, hope and belonging are timeless, and can help us approach modern immigration with greater empathy and understanding.

05/05/2026

🌳 Where the past meets the present 🌏

The Emigrant's Walk

07/04/2026

First Emigrant's Walk of the season! It was so lovely to meet Greg and Lori from New York. As we made our way to the top of Carnotogher the weather cycled all four seasons every 10 mins ☀️🌧🌪❄️ but we made it to the top with smiles all round, well done Lori and Greg.
A Sunday well spent and huge thanks to Wilderness Ireland and lovely guide Mairead.

10/09/2025

❗️Only One Week Left – Secure Your Space❗️

📆 Thursday 18th September
⌚️ 7.30pm
📍 Friels Bar & Restaurant, Swatragh

Gorta Swatragh invites you to a moving historical talk:
The Irish Famine Immigrant Experience on Staten Island

Internationally-regarded speaker, author, and curator Loretto Leary (Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, Fairfield, CT) will share powerful stories of the thousands of Irish Famine emigrants whose journeys ended at the harbors of New York—and the remarkable legacy they left behind. Discover how families from Derry and across Ireland faced hope, heartbreak, and sacrifice in pursuit of new beginnings. Learn the little-known history beneath today’s Staten Island Ferry Terminal, where mass Famine graves still echo with memory.

This unforgettable event will honour the resilience and sorrow of those who departed Irish soil in search of survival.

🆓 Free entry to Gorta Visitor Centre, 3pm–7pm
⚡️ Spaces filling fast – booking is advised!

Book here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-irish-immigrant-experience-on-staten-island-tickets-1634255856259?aff=oddtdtcreator