Tourism Ireland reaches out to visitors with global celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day

Tourism Ireland has launched a St Patrick’s Week bonanza of international promotions, to tap into curiosity about the island and bring more visitors and bookings to its shores. The media-friendly activity includes A Happy St Patrick’s Day song and video, an invitation to light up the world with “Global Greenings”, a focus on the Dublin Festival and a BBC documentary, as well as the agency’s ongoing work on its “Fill your Heart with Ireland” campaign.

The Irish band Lemoncello has produced a cover of Breathless by The Corrs, with a video that features Irish land and seascapes and captures the “evergreen” energy of the Emerald Isle, with its people celebrating at St Patrick’s Day events and the members of Lemoncello playing their music in a traditional pub “seisiún”. The video has had over 30 million views in its first seven days.

Music is not the only way the Irish share the joy of their national holiday with the world. Global Greenings have been going on since 2010 and despite a worldwide energy crisis, destinations all over the planet have chosen to light up their landmarks in green for the occasion. Tourism Ireland helps interested destinations with a toolkit and sites due to shine this year include the Empire State Building and Niagara Falls, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sacré-Cœur in Paris, and the Sky Tower in Auckland.

Elsewhere, Ireland Week activities will take place in Madrid, Milan, Paris and Switzerland.  The new festival in Madrid will bring a taste of Ireland to around 150,000 people, while coverage of the festival in New York will be broadcast to 8 million plus, all “generating buzz for Irish culture and visitation” a press release said.

🌍💚 Happy St Patrick’s Day! Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative is taking off in our key tourism markets around the world, with iconic landmarks lighting up green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day! ☘️✨ pic.twitter.com/LpEfvw79YC

— Tourism Ireland (@TourismIreland) March 17, 2025

In addition, an audience of over 200 million is expected to be reached by the output of the international media as its broadcasts and writes about the Dublin Festival and showcases St Patrick’s Week events, including a St Patrick’s Day documentary to be aired on BBC Four in Great Britain and Arté in Europe.

We’re delighted to have co-produced 'Patrick – A Slave to Ireland', a documentary narrated by Ciarán Hinds, which explores how St Patrick's radical Christian movement converted Ireland and much of Europe. pic.twitter.com/Q8GY07iOHc

— Tourism Ireland (@TourismIreland) March 16, 2025

In 2024, overseas visitors to Ireland spent over 10% more than they did in 2023, bringing an estimated €7 billion in revenue to the island of Ireland. Tourism Ireland is hoping to build on that this year, noting that “the spotlight for Ireland created during St Patrick’s Week tees up spring and summer travel ahead.” Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of the body, said: “St Patrick’s Day provides a unique opportunity to showcase the very best of Ireland to the world. This is a time of year that attracts an estimated 100,000 overseas visitors to the island.”