New website for Ireland to be launched

A national website for Ireland, the first of its kind for any country in the world, will be launched next St Patrick’s Day.

The idea of a portal with economic, cultural, political and sporting links for Irish people at home and abroad and those interested in Irish issues arose out of the Global Economic Forum at Farmleigh last September.

A feasibility study which was funded by businessmen Denis O’Brien and Dermot Desmond and Riverdance-founder John McColgan with support from Google and Facebook has been completed and the website, which has four full-time employees already, will be developed in time for its global launch next March.

The Gateway Ireland website does not have a website address yet but Mr McColgan, the chairman of the Gateway Ireland advisory group, said he was talking to The Irish Times about Ireland.com which owns the domain name.

He said it was the “obvious choice”, but there were at least another half-dozen options they could use.

The website will have a series of global, language-specific “electronic embassies” which will be staffed by people who will translate content on the site into the language of that country.

The website will be privately-owned and run on a not for profit basis but will be endorsed by the Government.

Project director John Kelleher, the former film censor, said the website will have a number of high profile backers, though he did not name them and it would be funded by sponsorship, advertising and franchising.