Pictured at the Canadian Connection event at Coollattin House are Alison Kehoe, Victor Young, Kevin Vickers (Canadian Ambassador to Ireland) and Dermot Kenny. Pic: Christy Farrell.

The Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency, Kevin Vickers, was “very honoured and exceptionally humbled to have the profound pleasure to be back in my ancestral homeland,” when he enthusiastically addressed guests in the Library of Coollattin House, near Shillelagh, for the launch of the Coollattin Canadian Connection, last Friday afternoon.

The event was organised by Old Coollattin Country Ltd and is aimed at promoting a number cultural, social and tourism links between Wicklow and Wexford with Canada, stemming from the large number of local emigrants who took the ships from New Ross across the Atlantic between 1847 and 1853.

“When people say ‘Welcome home, Kevin’ it always brings tears to my eyes,” said Mr Vickers, who added that his great-great grandfather, James Vickers, left here (Wicklow) in 1847. “It is a profound experience to come back home.”

The Ambassador spoke about in Irish in Canada, the family names that are found out there – Lynch, Cassidy, Kenny, Doran, Buckley, Butler, Shanahan – and not only do they have names, they actually look like you, not only do they look like you, they act like you, and God Bless them, they even drink like you!

Minister Simon Harris said it was a momentous day in terms of relations between Ireland and Canada from an economic and a tourism perspective and a really exciting day for Coollattin and for south Wicklow because what you are trying to do is to reunite generations.

Full report in THE GOREY ECHO this week.