Over 2m Americans will get a glimpse of Ireland during NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day parade

Images of Ireland will be beamed into the homes of more than two million Americans this St Patrick’s Day.

Footage is being filmed this month at various locations in Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Kerry, Clare and Meath, which will air on NBC television in New York during its live coverage of the St Patrick’s Day Parade in New York. The NBC crew was invited to Ireland by Tourism Ireland in partnership with Fáilte Ireland.

The NBC broadcast on March 17 will highlight Dublin, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way. Coverage of the St Patrick’s Day Parade on NBC will be sponsored by Tourism Ireland once again this year.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North America, said, “The NBC broadcast on St Patrick’s Day is an excellent opportunity to showcase the island of Ireland to a huge audience of more than 2 million Americans. People everywhere instantly identify St Patrick’s Day with Ireland and that heightened profile at this time of year allows us to put our holiday experience in the spotlight in the United States.

“2015 was the third record-breaking year in a row for visitor numbers to Ireland from North America, when we welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors. Tourism Ireland is undertaking an extensive program of promotional activity again this year – to keep the momentum going and build on that growth.”

Tourism Ireland will undertake a busy program of consumer and trade promotions in the United States around St Patrick’s Day. For the first time ever, 7 World Trade Center in New York, the famous Boston Red Sox (baseball team) and Reunion Hall in Dallas will participate in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative on March 17, joining other sites like the Empire State Building, the famous ‘Welcome’ sign in Las Vegas and City Hall in Toronto.