On March 17th, the globe is going green. It might sound like an environmental initiative, but it’s actually a fabulous PR plug for St. Patrick’s Day, when the world embraces all things Irish. Considering over 70 million people from all corners of the planet claim links with the Emerald Isle, its not hard to see why this lighthearted holiday is so popular. Even if you don’t have a drop of Irish blood in you, it’s still fun to tap into your inner leprechaun and celebrate with a green beer or two. For several years now, Tourism Ireland has arranged for a wide variety of iconic sites around the world to glow or flow green on this special day. Here’s a look at how some of the top global landmarks go green for Ireland.
1. Sydney Opera House, Australia
2. Niagara Falls, Canada
3. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
4. Table Mountain, South Africa
5. London Eye, UK
6. Chicago River, USA
Don’t worry, they use a powdered vegetable dye that is not harmful to the river.
7. Little Mermaid Statue, Denmark
8. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
9. CN Tower, Canada
10. Glasgow Clyde Auditorium, UK
11. White House Fountain, USA
Michelle Obama, a Chicago native, started a tradition of greening the White House fountains for St. Patrick’s Day back in 2009.
12. Great Wall, China
13. Burj Al Arab, U.A.E.
14. Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
15. Empire State Building, USA
About 13% of New Yorkers claim Irish ancestry. But on St. Paddy’s Day, everyone is Irish.
