Ahead of this year's Belfast International Homecoming, which welcomes the diaspora back to celebrate the resurgent city, organisers of the annual gathering had some loose ends from last year to tie up.
Last October, London-based honouree and media magnate David Montgomery was unable to attend the gala Homecoming to pick up an award for his business endeavours due to illness. A veteran newspaper figure in Britain, David recently sold the National World conglomerate he led, which comprised of scores of publications and newspapers, including locally the News Letter and Derry Journal.
But on a visit home last week, David called into the Aisling Events offices on the Falls Road to pick up his crystal award and Belfast Ambassador Medal.
This was the Bangor native's first visit back to the Falls since, as he recalled, he came under fire as a cub journalist during an early-1970s gun battle in Leeson Street between the IRA and British Army.
Things were, he noted as he strolled past the top of Leeson Street, a lot quieter this time round.
And, to make up for last year's absence, David, a patron of the Integrated School Movement in the North, has put his name down to attend the 2025 Homecoming gala which is scheduled for Titanic Belfast on 25 September.
This year, as well as a hosting a stellar line-up of visiting ambassadors, the Homecoming will welcome a major delegation from the International Longshoremen’s Association in the US which is coming to town to hand over a $600,000 cheque to West Belfast youth project Glór na Móna. That fruitful connection between the ILA and the Gaeilge youth club was inspired by Belfast Ambassador Medal recipient Tom Griffith who visited the youth club during last year's Homecoming.
"We look forward to more transformative linkages to be generated at Homecoming 2025," said Aisling Events director Connla McCann. "Whether across business, academia, culture or the arts, our goal is to build bridges to the diaspora which bring benefits to Belfast and to our global family."
