St. Patrick's Day

Every year there are great celebrations of all things Irish on St. Patrick's Day itself - March 17th - and in the days and weeks around it. The Embassy participates in and organises many special events and uses the opportunity to promote Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day is a global celebration of what it means to be Irish; the spirit, the determination, the creativity and that indefinable something that makes us who we are. Ireland is capable of great things and every year the Embassy uses St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to showcase this to the world.

St. Patrick's Day 2014

In 2014, our Embassy worked with the State Agencies on a programme which included:

• A visit to Norway by Tom Hayes T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who met with Norwegian political, business and cultural figures.
• The organisation of official events with a strong trade focus including a Tourism Ireland Roadshow.
• The participation of Norway in the "Global Greening" for the first time when the iconic Holmenkollen Ski Tower was greened.
• Assisted in the creation of an "Irish Culture Week" which saw a contemporary Irish Literature Festival held for the first time in Norway, a parade through the heart of Oslo organised by the Norwegian Irish Society and Irish dancing, music and more!

What we do

One of our great strengths as a country is our people and during the St. Patrick's Day period, visits by Government Ministers complement the ongoing work of our Embassy network and state agencies in promoting awareness and confidence in Ireland's economic recovery, as well as showcasing what we have to offer as a nation.

Ministers take part in a range of different events, including meetings about trade, tourism and investment opportunities, media interviews, networking events, and bilateral meetings with national, regional and local ministers, along with other high-profile events such as Greening ceremonies.

Growing our economy

The focus on Ireland on St. Patrick's Day gives us a valuable opportunity to show the world that this country is open for business and to underline the close trade links between Norway and Ireland. We encourage the building of relationships, investment and tourism.

Sharing our culture

We celebrate our rich culture and heritage and we're proud of its influence on world literature, art and music. St. Patrick's Day is a great chance for us to share our culture with others, especially in countries where there's less awareness of Ireland. Our Embassy staff work closely with Culture Ireland to stage many cultural events around St. Patrick's Day, drawing lots of positive publicity for Irish culture and for Ireland as a place to visit, study and do business.

Saying thank you

St. Patrick's Day is a great time for Ireland to engage with and thank long-standing partners, friends, voluntary and community organisations and Irish communities around the world for their ongoing support and the contributions they make to this countries.