Ireland marks St. Patrick’s Day 2022

Ireland will mark St. Patrick’s Day 2022 in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, acknowledging their resilience and courage and assuring them of our unwavering support, as we express our Irish identity including our strong commitment to democratic and humanitarian values.

A priority focus of our national day will be to highlight that Ireland is an active, engaged, and fully committed member of the international community of free and democratic nations.

In addition to expressing Ireland’s support for the people of Ukraine, a core message of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day is that Ireland is reopening. Our international programme is focused on the theme of rebuilding connections and supporting our communities across the globe, acknowledging the importance of Ireland’s global diaspora.

The official St. Patrick’s Day international programme will see visits by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, other members of the government to 62 cities in 28 countries. Nine visits are already complete; the Taoiseach to London; the Tánaiste to Chile, and ministers to Finland, Estonia, Cyprus, Japan, Slovenia, Chicago and Croatia.

Building on the ‘digital diplomacy’ of 2021, 60 of Ireland’s Embassies and Consulates around the world are maximising Ireland’s international reach and impact by holding virtual receptions and publishing localised online content to connect with our Diaspora and key stakeholders. A St. Patrick’s Day hub on Ireland.ie has been developed to bring together all of the activity happening on the day throughout the world.

A special St. Patrick’s Day video greeting from Ireland to the world, with Paul Brady’s iconic ‘The Island’ song, has been published to mark Ireland’s solidarity and support with the people of Ukraine.

In addition, the Taoiseach has encouraged Ireland’s network of Missions that would usually light up green, to light up in blue and yellow, the colours of the flag of Ukraine, and has invited partners who normally take part in the ‘Global Greening’ to join us in doing so.

Ireland is also presenting a special St. Patrick’s Festival at the World Expo in Dubai, highlights of which include a world premier concert of new music curated by the National Concert Hall led by renowned musician Martin Hayes, and the launch of “The Irish Songbook (Vol 1)” album of 10 iconic Irish songs recorded by new Irish artists.

All official Ministerial programmes involve intensive engagement to promote Ireland and Irish interests throughout the world. Ministers will underline the centrality of Ireland’s membership of the European Union, reinforce Ireland’s commitment to protecting the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland, and celebrate our heritage and renew our links with our global diaspora, international partners, multilateral fora and business leaders. Each programme includes a number of high-level meetings and engagements in support of Irish business, all promoting Ireland as a great place to live, visit, work, invest, trade with, and study.

As well as the visits outlined above, Ministers will be in the following locations on St. Patrick’s Day: