The Gathering: Oral histories of the Irish in Montana: fostering a lasting heritage by honoring our past as we build our future.

The Gathering: the Oral Histories of the Irish in Montana, is a long-term interdisciplinary Irish Studies research project. Its mission is to collect and transmit the memories of the Irish of Montana, to educate and inform contemporary society of the history and culture of the Irish, and to provide access to this material so we may draw on our past as we build our future. The objectives of the Gathering this year are: Organizational review, Collect and record a memory and history of the Irish of Montana, Preserve and provide access to those materials, Draw on these resources to foster Irish culture in Montana, Honor the accomplishments and the legacy of the older generation, Connect the Montana Irish to Ireland, Foster academic research and study of this material as part of the Irish Studies Program at the University of Montana, Develop the Gathering into a stable, on-going, self-supporting project, & Facilitate artistic and cultural outcomes based on our materials.