Gort was initially the focus of a study by US students in 2017, initiated under the Sustainable Development Goals, as seen in the stages outlined in Gort Research Project 2017.
In 2018, Public meetings were held together with Entopia to identify plans for the town and an application for support for a community festival was made to Galway 2020. Multiple community groups and organisations came together over the course of the next 12 months, culminating in the Heart of Gort Festival on 17,18 May 2019 ( https://www.facebook.com/heartofgortfestival/) which was curated by Baile ( an ICOMOS committee focusing on issues affecting small towns and villages ) and supported by Galway2020, Galway County Council and the local community, including Burren Lowlands.