The Gathering 2013

An Irish Party...on and off the airwaves!

Throughout 2013 Irish families and clans will be coming together in thousands of events, both on the island and around the globe, to celebrate their history and heritage in a unique event called The Gathering.

Irish amateur radio stations, North and South, will be participating and all operators throughout the world, whether they have some green Irish blood or not, are invited to join in the celebrations.

CQ de EI13CLAN

The special event callsign EI 13 CLAN has been issued to IRTS and will be active throughout the year.  It will be used for a variety of awards and other activities, details of which will be posted here.

This call will be used to connect with amateurs worldwide, many of whom will have a connection or an interest in Ireland.

A special Certificate is offered for stations that contact EI13CLAN.  For every confirmed QSO with EI13CLAN you get one point for each band and mode used.  For instance, 15M CW = 1 point, 15M SSB = 1 point, 10m RTTY = 1 point, 10m CW = 1 point etc etc.  No points for dupes.  You qualify for a certificate with a minimum of 6 points.

A certificate request can be made online using our EI13CLAN Certificate Request page, alternatively it can be posted to the QSL manager with full details of the bands and modes claimed, enclosing €6 ($8 / £5) to cover postage.  QSL information is on our QRZ.COM page.

CLAN Roll of Honour

In 2013 the year of the Gathering, the Irish Radio Transmitters Society would like to extend a special welcome to the many Amateurs around the world who claim Irish ancestry.  In recognition of the this link to Ireland we are offering an initiative which we call the CLAN Roll of Honour.  This is not intended to be a serious research into genealogy—it will use very basic information provided by the amateurs themselves of their ancestor's name and relationship, with date of departure from Ireland if known.  IRTS accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.  If this initiative is successful The Roll of Honour will eventually be listed by CLAN name with callsign and will be accessable through a link on the IRTS web site.  This will allow amateurs to find other amateurs with the same ancestral name and approximate same date of emigration. They can then make contact if they wish to do so.

To be included on the list you must have had at least one QSO with EI13CLAN.  You then send details of the QSO for logcheck purposes, along with your callsign, ancestor's name, relationship, date of departure from Ireland, plus town or county where they lived in Ireland if known.  Email this information to .

Honorary CLAN Membership Certificate

IRTS will also have available a CLAN certificate for each call on the list, customised to include the information provided.  An example of this certificate is shown above.  Certificates cost €8 to cover preparation and post.  Payment for an Honorary CLAN Membership Certificate can be made online using our EI13CLAN Certificate Request page, alternatively it can be posted to the QSL manager with the QSO and ancestry details, enclosing €8 ($10) to cover postage.  QSL information is on our QRZ.COM page.

The Gathering Ireland 2013

This is an exciting year-long celebration of Ireland, its people and all that is great about its connections, both at home and abroad.  The Gathering Ireland invites anyone who has a link to Ireland or just a love of the country, to come to Ireland for a series of events throughout 2013.  Find out more about this project, keep up-to-date with the latest news and planned events at thegatheringireland.com.

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