Feature Ireland on St. Patrick's Day

NEW YORK, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The St. Patrick's Day Festival is the highlight of Ireland's cultural calendar - a week long celebration of music, dance, outdoor spectaculars and of course, on March 17th, the stunning St. Patrick's Day parade through the historic streets of Dublin.

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Here in the U.S., our St. Patrick's Day celebrations will be brought to life by wonderful 'characters,' who have made the trip all the way from Ireland.

1. Mr. St. Patrick himself, Dr Tim Campbell, is Ireland's leading expert on our patron saint. He is director of the St. Patrick's Center in the town of Downpatrick, where the saint is buried.
2. Celebrity Chef Catherine Fulvio of Ballyknocken House in Co Wicklow will bring together all the ingredients you need to cook up a wonderful St. Patrick's Day feast.
3. Artist and historian Una Heaton can provide a great insight into the Irish cultural scene and how it relates to St. Patrick in 2011.

Click on the link below to see how you can include them in your St. Patrick’s Day coverage. Also at the link you will find nine specially commissioned videos which are free to download and broadcast. http://www.tourismirelandinfo.com/media2010/player/  Videos can also be downloaded from our FTP site - FTP Server: ftp.tengotwo.com FTP Username: [email protected] Password: ireland2010

40 million people in the U.S. claim Irish heritage. On March 17th that figure rises to around 300 million. We have put together a great guide to all things St. Patrick. Find out where he was from, how we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, some great Irish recipes and much, much more at…. http://www.tourismirelandinfo.com/whattodo/stpat.html

The St. Patrick's festival is just the first of many major festivals and events taking place in Ireland this year. The 100th anniversary of the launch of Titanic takes place in Belfast in May. The Solheim Cup golf tournament will be held at Killeen Castle in September. And the celebrations are continuing in Dublin, recently named UNESCO city of Literature.

Check out www.discoverireland.com which is the top resource for all aspects of travel to the island of Ireland and contains some fantastic vacation offers from our tour operator partners. Ireland is easy to get to, easy on the pocket and easily one of the most spectacular destinations in the world.

SOURCE Tourism Ireland