An Tóstal Harp

"Article from The Journal You know we had a 'Gathering' 60 years ago, right? ‘An Tóstal’ was organised in 1953 to encourage visitors to come to Ireland outside of the normal tourist season. And it gave us the Rose of Tralee. Apr 7th 2013, 8:45 AM 14,403 37 THIS IS THE description of a national festival promoted by Irish tourist chiefs and government to boost visitor numbers here: “(It) will be a time of pageantry and national rejoicing in which the Irish clans from far and near come together in joyful reunion.” The Gathering? No – this is the description attributed by President Seán T O’Kelly in 1953 on the opening of An Tóstal festival with a parade on Dublin’s O’Connell Street. (Click here to see the British Pathé newsreel of the parade). It had its own flag and EVERYTHING. The flag bore the same harp symbol as the official commemorative stamps of the time, which were designed by Fergus O’Ryan from Limerick. The harp itself was designed by a Dutchman, Guss Melai, who used the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp of Ireland as his inspiration: These stamps are up for auction right now on ebay.ie The idea came from an airline boss The initial prompt for An Tóstal came originally from the president of Pan American Airlines who thought Ireland should take inspiration from the 1951 Festival of Britain. (Presumably, the thought that it might lead to more transatlantic flight bookings didn’t cross his mind). It was particularly aimed at the Irish diaspora in the United States and Bord Fáilte Éireann and the government realised that it would be a good campaign to promote more visits "