The majority of the residents of Rainn Mhór will board a ferry at the dock early tomorrow morning to go from their island off the coast of Donegal to another island in Lake Michigan in the United States.
On September 8 and 9, Beaver Island will host the Emerald Isle Irish Féile, and the neighbourhood pipe band Banna Píob Árainn Mhór; has been asked to play. There will be about 100 friends and family members travelling with them.
A fifth of the inhabitants of the Donegal island's Beaver Island will arrive later this week for a special visit, strengthening the connections between the two places that date back to the Famine.
The long-standing practise of ‘tattie-howking’, in which young people from the island travel to Scotland to harvest potatoes, gave rise to the band. On Rainn Mhór, Scottish piping gained popularity, and the island's pipe band has had the honour of three times opening the Highland Games in Scotland.
The historic journey to the US will be an occasion to honour Alec's life and to cement ties between the two islands.