St. Patrick's Day

Every year, from Washington to New York to San Francisco and plenty of locations in between, 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 and Consulates participate in and organise many special events and use 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 and Consulates use St. Patrick’s Day to show the world just what we can do.

St. Patrick's Day 2014

This year, our Embassy and Consulates worked with the State Agencies on a programme which included:

• High-level political meetings for the Taoiseach with President Obama, Vice-President Biden, Speaker Boehner and other key Congressional figures
• Visit by other Government representatives to a range of U.S. cities
• Organising official events with a strong trade focus.
• Participating in the "Global Greenings" of iconic American sites.
• Attending a series of events, including business networking events and parades throughout the U.S.

What we do

One of our great strengths as a country is our people. During the St. Patrick's Day period, visits by the Taoiseach and Government Ministers promote awareness and confidence in Ireland's economic recovery, as well as showcase what we have to offer as a nation.

The Taoiseach and Ministers take part in a range of different high-level political meetings and events, including on trade, tourism and investment opportunities, immigration reform, 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 the United States of America 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 where there is less awareness of Ireland.

Staff at our Consulate and with the Embassy 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 America.