A reunion of the O'Brien clan will take place this August around the ancestral home in Dromoland, Co Clare. It is to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Brian Boru's accession to the throne of Ireland.
Lord Inchiquin, who as Conor O'Brien is a direct descendant of Brian Boru, is currently in the US on a nine-day tour summoning his clansmen to the gathering, which will take place from August 19th to 22nd. They will celebrate their 11th-century ancestor, who was King of Thomond before uniting the country and becoming High King in 1002.
"It is a chance for a large number of O'Briens to come back to see a part of the world they may not have seen," he says. "It is not every family that can celebrate a millennium. That is what we are building up to in the festival in August."
He hopes to play host to up to 5,000 of the estimated 750,000 O'Briens living around the world, including some of the 135,000 living in Ireland. For St Patrick's Day, he will be at a festival in California under an O'Brien tent.
The O'Briens are the sixth most numerous Irish clan, he said, with thousands of people with the name living in Britain, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
In the US, one of the most notable ones is Peri Gilpin, née O'Brien, who plays Roz on the popular TV comedy Frasier. But Lord Inchiquin, too, has seen his share of TV shows this week. On Thursday, he did 17 TV interviews by satellite link-up for morning shows across the US.
The visitors to the O'Brien 1,000 Festival will be based at the student residences in the University of Limerick and will be a welcome boost to the region's tourism industry. "If we can get 5,000 coming in at that time, it will be 5,000 more people than would be coming anyway." The University Concert Hall will be put to use for concerts and functions.
Other events will involve tours to landmarks associated with Brian Boru, including Bunratty Castle, O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher, and the Rock of Cashel. Medieval banquets will be held at Knappogue and Bunratty castles. The farewell gathering will be at Limerick's new racecourse at Greenmount Park.
The event has also provided an occasion for Lord Inchiquin to renew a appeal to locate Brian Boru's sword, which was stolen from the Vernons in Clontarf, Dublin, in the 1960s.
A special album of Irish music has been recorded for the occasion by Maurice Lennon and a history of the clan, Historical Memoir of the O'Briens - The Origin and History of the O'Brien Clan, by John O'Donoghue, published in 1860, will be republished in April.
Among Lord Inchiquin's recent ancestors are William Smith O'Brien, the leader of the 1848 rebellion who recently had a plaque unveiled to his memory at Dromoland Castle.
Dromoland Castle, the ancestral home that dates from the early 19th century, was sold in 1962 to US businessman Mr Bernard McDonagh, who converted it to a hotel. Now owned by a syndicate, its sporting facilities are run by Lord Inchiquin who lives nearby at Thomond House.
An Post is planning to bring out a commemorative Brian Boru stamp later in the year.
Meanwhile, Clare County Council is due to light up the Dromoland Gazebo on the Limerick-Ennis road.
Further information is available at www.obrien1000.com