Tourism Ireland will no longer promote greening as part of its St Patrick’s Day plans, the cabinet has been told.
The campaign has greened buildings around the world, including Sydney’s Opera House. Empire State Building in New York. Niagara Falls, Canada. and the Grand Duke’s Palace in Monaco.
Ministers were told that Tourism Ireland would no longer run global campaigns, but that individual diplomatic missions would be free to promote high-profile greening initiatives in their countries.
Tourism Ireland announced last year that the campaign would not run due to the energy crisis.
A spokesperson for the tourism body said in 2023: “In light of the current energy crisis, Tourism Ireland has taken the decision not to promote the Green World Plan around St Patrick’s Day.”
However, the Sydney Opera House, the first landmark to join the initiative, was still lit up in green thanks to support from the New South Wales Government and the Sydney St Patrick’s Day Organisation.
The idea was conceived in Australia to commemorate the 200th anniversary of New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s first reception for Irish expatriates.
Tourism Ireland approached the authorities in 2010 about whether to green light the Sydney Opera House to commemorate it, and they agreed.