A new and ambitious initiative to reach out to all Donegal people and all those who have a love and an affinity for Donegal was launched on Friday 1^st March at Donegal Airport.

Donegal Connect is a 10 day event which will take place this autumn from 27th Sept to 6th Oct and aims to continue to strengthen links with Donegal people both on the island of Ireland and across the world by reaching out to them and inviting them to come home and connect again with the county. 

There will be something for everyone including events focussed on culture and heritage, sport, and music, genealogy, employment and business development opportunities, education and career opportunities, networking events and workshops on the practicalities of relocating or returning to Donegal.

Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill believes that this initiative will be a celebration of all things Donegal saying:

”We in Donegal are very fortunate to live in a county of outstanding beauty and one that offers a unique family friendly lifestyle, a fantastic quality of life, a place where investment and employment opportunities exist and where businesses and employees can successfully operate and compete on a global stage through many of our locally based worldwide employers.  Through connecting with our diaspora we want to create mutually beneficial opportunities that build on the success of the work of our Diaspora office”.

Donegal Connect is about enticing people to make the journey  back to Donegal to explore the county and find out why it is a great place to visit, to relocate to, to grow up in, to be educated in, to work in, to invest in or to retire in. 

An important element of the initiative is the creation of new opportunities for investment, business development and employment.  Donegal Connect wants to communicate the message that Donegal is open for business, has lots of employment opportunities and offers a great quality of life. 

Donegal has received some impressive accolades over the last few years including being named as the ‘coolest place on the planet’ in 2017 by National Geographic and more recently Donegal Airport being voted the most scenic landing strip in the world.  This along with the filming of Star Wars at Malin Head –  Ireland’s most northerly point – and the hosting of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballyliffin last summer has showcased the splendour of Donegal to the world and putting it most definitely on the map.

Speaking at the launch event, Breid Gallagher of Randox Teoranta in Dungloe, Donegal, said:

“We are tremendously excited for Donegal Connect and to showcase the very best Donegal has to offer. There are certainly fantastic opportunities available here, as evidenced at our state-of-the-art global diagnostic facility at Randox Teoranta. There are amazing career opportunities right on the doorstep here in Donegal and, being in the most beautiful part of the world with quality of life like no other, you couldn’t ask for a better place to ‘live the journey’!”

For more information on Donegal Connect, please visit https://www.donegalconnect.com/ or email RandoxPR@randox.com.