World landmarks going green for St Patrick's Day
The homes of gladiators and country music are among the landmarks joining the global celebrations for St Patrick’s Day this year.
In what tourism chiefs called a major coup, the Colosseum in Rome and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, will be turned green for March 17 along with the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre, Paris.
The ever expanding greening list also includes instantly recognisable sites such as Niagara Falls on both the US-Canadian border, the London Eye, Christ the Redeemer above Rio de Janeiro, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.
Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, urged more companies and buildings in Ireland to follow the example being set overseas.
“The success of the Global Greening from a tourism perspective is in the volume of media coverage that is generated, with images of the greened landmarks forming part of prime-time news broadcasts on stations around the world, and images of the greened venues appearing in print and online publications and being widely shared on social media,” he said.
Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland chief executive, said: “This is the sixth year of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative and each year I am delighted to see even more well-known attractions and landmark sites wishing to get involved and join our St Patrick’s celebrations.
“In particular, the addition of the Colosseum in Rome, one of the most famous monuments in the world, is a major coup for Irish tourism.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan said: “In addition to the obvious tourism and economic benefits which accrue from the greenings, it is very important to stress that the greening of iconic sites around the world is an enormous source of pride to people here in Ireland and to our diaspora overseas.
“The greening of iconic sites is also symbolic of the great friendship that exists between Ireland and so many countries around the world. It presents us with an invaluable opportunity to deepen existing friendships, strengthen awareness of Ireland and our rich heritage, and forge new ties.”
A number of lesser known sites have also been pulled into the celebrations including the Porte de Bourgogne in Bordeaux, the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville, the Jumeirah Etihad Towers hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Town Halls of Munich and Bamberg, the Christ the King statue in Lisbon, the Fram polar exploration ship in Oslo, as well as City Hall in Tbilisi.
Others on the greening list are the Allianz Arena in Munich, the Sky Tower in Auckland, the Cibeles Fountain and Palace in Madrid and one of last year’s newcomers, Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland in Paris.
Some of the biggest celebrations will once again be in Chicago where numerous buildings will be greened including Navy Pier, the John Hancock Center, the United Center where the Chicago Bulls and the Blackhawks play, the Wrigley Building, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Block Thirty Seven shopping mall, Old St Patrick’s Church and Macy’s department store.
The city’s people are also being asked to join in at special greening stations in the run up to the day.
