Kilkenny County Library Service has prepared a series of six such postcards featuring pictures of Kilkenny, past and present. The original postcards were published in the early 1900’s and the ‘now’ photographs were taken from the same perspective last year. The postcards are available through library branches or by contacting your Gathering co-ordinator, Aisling Hayes.

The Bridge, Graiguenamanagh

Designed by George Smith, the bridge crosses the River Barrow in the centre of Graiguenamanagh and was built in 1764-7. During the rebellion of 1798, British forces blew up some of the arches to close access to Kilkenny from County Carlow. It is one of several bridges rebuilt in Kilkenny following the great flood of 1763, including those in Thomastown, Inistioge, Castlecomer and Green’s Bridge in Kilkenny.

High Street, Kilkenny

Dominated by the Tholsel building, high street is at the heart of Kilkenny City. Originally constructed in 1579, the Tholsel was extended in 1761. It has in the past been used as a customs house, a guildhall and a courthouse, and is currently in use as the town hall. It also stores the ‘Liber Primus Kilkenniensis’ which  contains records of decisions taken from 1231. High Street is also well known for the medieval lanes, or ‘slips’ which run down to Kieran street to the east.

John’s Quay, Kilkenny

The River Nore runs for 140km, from Devil’s Bit Mountain in north Tipperary, through Counties Laois and Kilkenny, to the sea at Waterford Harbour.  The Nore has played a central part in the history of Kilkenny and with the Rivers Barrow and Suir, forms the ‘3 Sisters’. Major tributaries of the Nore include the Dinin, the Breagagh at Kilkenny City, the King’s River, the Little Arrigle and the Black Water. The Nore is crossed at Ballyragget, Bennettsbridge, Thomastown, Inistioge and Kilkenny City.

Bessborough House, Piltown

Built in the mid 18^th century for Brabazon Ponsonby (1679-1768), the first Earl of Bessborough, Bessborough House was burned during the Civil War. It was reconstructed in 1929 and used as a convent until 1944, when it became the home of Kildalton Agricultural College.

Church Road, Johnstown

The  village of Johnstown features an attractive diamond at its centre. The nearby Spa Well at Ballyspellan was celebrated in verse by the great Johnathan Swift after a visit in the 1700’s. Check out Johnstown Historical Society’s facebook site for lots of archive photographs at http://ow.ly/jFrtr

The Square, Castlecomer

The market square and street layout of modern Castlecomer date to the 1630’s when the Wandesford family began construction of the present town near the location of the Norman castle.  Coal mining began in earnest in the area around 1640, and the mines remained open until 1969, providing employment for many in the surrounding area.

We had our Brochure Launch in Stathams Bar at the Pembroke Hotel here in Kilkenny on Wednesday night. You can read the event  here, and download the brochure here.

You can play a part by organising your own gathering event. A gathering can be as small or as large as you want, all you need is one person form overseas. You can upload your event to www.thegatheringireland.com and use it as a central hub to help plan your event.

In addition to our large scale flagship events, we are hoping that the people of Kilkenny will plan and host as many smaller community events as possible.

You can take inspiration from some of the events others have planned, or perhaps you have your own unique idea. Either way, you should make use of A gathering can be as small or as large as you like.  Whether you are an individual, a business or a community or sporting organisation, you can help to make 2013 the year of the Gathering.You can take inspiration from some of the events others have planned, or perhaps you have your own unique idea. Either way, to get started, create an account at www.thegatheringireland.com and upload the details of your event. If you need any help, the local steering group is available to provide assistance, and can be contacted through the links here.

Whatever type of event you are organising, there are a few key things you can do to help your gathering succeed.

1.  Work with your community

You don’t have to work alone. Why not get everyone involved at the planning stage and work together? Pooling all your resources and experience will make your gathering more successful and give the whole community a sense of ownership.

2.  Identify who you want to target

Seek out your connections around the world such as family, friends, school and work colleagues and start communicating with them now. You don’t need to have your event confirmed to start the conversation.

3.  Seek out sponsorship

Local funding through individual or commercial sponsorship can make a big difference to your event. Talk to businesses in your area today.

4.  Work with your local tourism providers

Let local tourism providers like hotels, B&Bs, activity organisers and visitor attractions know about your event in advance. They may be able to support it in some way, either by offering packages or promoting it on their websites.

5.  Keep the local press informed

Stay in touch with your local press. Get to know your local journalists and editors, their deadlines and their particular news interests. Make their jobs easier by providing them with good quality press releases, pictures and captions. Announce events in the community diary.

6. Use www.thegatheringireland.com

There’s lots of resources available on www.thegatheringireland.com, including posters, invites and ‘How to’ guides to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Social media is a powerful and completely free marketing resource. Choose one or two social media tools and use them well.