There is only one place to be on St. Patrick's Day ......Ireland

NEW YORK, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Come join us in Ireland this St. Patrick's Day. Soak up the atmosphere, walk in the parade and be part of Ireland's special celebrations for the Gathering 2013.

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The St. Patrick's Festival is the highlight of Ireland's cultural calendar — a celebration of music,  song, dance and of course, on March 17th, the stunning St. Patrick's Day parade through the historic streets of Dublin.

This year looks set to be extra special as Ireland marks 2013 – the year of the Gathering. Throughout 2013, Ireland is opening its arms to hundreds of thousands of friends and family from all over the world, calling them home to gatherings in villages, towns and cities. There will be clan gatherings, festivals, special sporting events and concerts taking place all across the country and whether you are Irish born, Irish bred or Irish in spirit you are invited to join in this unique celebration.

St. Patrick's Day will be a microcosm of what the Gathering is all about, as for the first time the parade will be opened up and 8,000 lucky folks will walk among the colorful floats and performers in what is being called – the peoples parade.

At the last census 44 million Americans claimed Irish heritage and Tourism Ireland is calling on everyone to visit Ireland in 2013 and be part of the Gathering.

Joe Byrne, Executive Vice President, Tourism Ireland US and Canada said, "We want to invite anyone with a connection to Ireland to come and visit and be part of our unique events. The St. Patrick's festival and The Gathering will provide a wonderful opportunity for people from the US to reconnect with family and friends, to make new friends and to join in a modern celebration of what it means to be Irish."

Mr. Byrne continued, "Over one million people made the trip from North America to Ireland last year and we look forward to building on that great figure in 2013. With great air access and attractive on-the-ground offers, our travel partners are ready and waiting to help you plan your gathering and to ensure that we deliver the experience of a lifetime."

The St. Patrick's festival is just the first of many major festivals and events taking place in Ireland this year. Derry/Londonderry is reveling in its status as UK city of culture 2013 with a calendar of tremendous events planned for the year and the World Police and Fire games takes place in Belfast this Fall.

For media information on Ireland please visit www.tourismirelandinfo.com

For information on visiting Ireland please visit www.ireland.com

For information on how to become part of the Gathering please visit www.thegatheringireland.com.

SOURCE Tourism Ireland