ALL roads will lead to Dunmanway in 2026 for what is being billed as ‘The Dunmanway Homecoming’ which is expected to draw ‘all tribes’ to the town.
With almost 3,500 members, ‘The Descendants of Dunmanway & West Cork’ Facebook page was set up by American Ted Chambers and his sister Maureen over four years ago. They visited the town in 2022 and became the first members of their family to come back to visit Dunmanway in 151 years after their great-great grandparents, George Chambers and Kathryn Hurley emigrated to Massachusetts via London in 1871.
With the success of the page Ted, together with the Dunmanway Chamber of Commerce and Dunmanway Historical Association, will co-host the homecoming over the August bank holiday weekend in two years’ time.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Ted, who lives in Boston and visited Dunmanway recently, said they had been talking about doing something for a few years now given the success of the Facebook page.
‘One of our members, Bud Hurley, flew to Ireland in March to meet his cousin and also met up with Michelle O’Mahony from Dunmanway Historical Association and Tim Buckley from Dunmanway Chamber of Commerce where the idea was first mooted,’ said Ted.
‘We were excited to find out that both groups were eager to give us a hand putting something together. They already have the expertise having hosted the very successful Star Wars themed “Feel the Force” festival earlier this year. It doesn’t matter if people left Dunmanway or West Cork, or for that matter 10 years ago or 50 years ago, everyone is welcome to this event. We want to send that message to expatriates and descendants of the diaspora.’
While it is still early days, Ted and the team will be busy over the next few months and into next year preparing a programme of events including talks, tours and live entertainment which will take place three days prior to the Ballybuidhe Horse Fair.
‘We are giving people two year’s notice and encouraging people to perhaps plan their holidays in Ireland around this event and to save this date and save their nickels. We carried out an online survey with our members and two thirds indicated that they are interested in travelling to Dunmanway for the Homecoming.’
Tim Buckley, chairman of Dunmanway Chamber of Commerce said it is amazing the lengths that the descendants of Dunmanway are willing to go just to connect and reach out to the biological and geographical roots of their particular family tree.
‘It is incumbent of us therefore to do everything in our power to ensure that their homecoming in 2026 is full of information, hospitality and good old fashioned Irish craic,’ he said.
‘I and my colleagues at the chamber will be in the coming months working closely with our friends in the States and New Zealand and other countries to put in place plans for The Homecoming.’
He added that they have resources and people at their disposal to pull together this massive logistical challenge, which has the potential to have a major impact on the social, historical and economic landscape of their town.
‘We will be looking to get the entire community involved in this project and use this international event to showcase Dunmanway’s proud historical, sporting and cultural tradition along with our modern diversifications, our fortitude and unrelenting determination to extend a ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ to all visitors to our town.’
See ‘Descendants of Dunmanway & West Cork’ on Facebook for more updates.
