Taoiseach Micheál Martin launches Tourism Ireland’s St Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Madrid

Tourism Ireland rolls out St Patrick’s Week promotions around the world.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has joined Tourism Ireland to launch ‘Semana de Irlanda’ (Ireland Week) at the Gran Vía metro station in Madrid. ‘Semana de Irlanda’ is a key part of the organisation’s extensive programme of St Patrick’s Day promotional activity, which is under way in Spain and elsewhere around the world this week. As part of the celebrations in Madrid, the Gran Vía metro station will be renamed to ‘Green Vía’.

This year’s ‘Ireland Week’ celebrations are bringing a taste of Ireland to Madrid, Paris and Milan, in collaboration with embassies and Bord Bia, by celebrating our culture including dance, food, music and much more. The St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Madrid will showcase Ireland to around 200,000 people.

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are delighted to have Taoiseach Micheál Martin join us in Madrid to launch ‘Semana de Irlanda’ and kick off our St Patrick’s Day 2026 programme of promotions. Our aim is to bring a smile to the faces of people in the Spanish capital and to spread the message that Ireland offers the warmest of welcomes and great fun – and to showcase our rich music and culture.

“St Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity for tourism to Ireland – with this time of year both attracting visitors to Ireland and being important for teeing up bookings for the season ahead through the heightened profile created. Tourism Ireland is undertaking a major programme of media, travel trade and consumer promotions to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile around St Patrick’s Day.”

‘Ireland Week’ celebrations are just one element of Tourism Ireland’s extensive St Patrick’s 2026 programme. Further highlights include:

• Iconic locations around the world will light up green around St Patrick’s Day, and Tourism Ireland will be sharing this moment of connection across its social and publicity channels.
• Tourism Ireland will invite international media to Ireland to stream, broadcast and share reasons to come to our island during St Patrick’s Week. Tourism Ireland’s message will reach an audience reach of around 350 million via 2,500 pieces of coverage.
• ITV’s This Morning is broadcasting live from Cork, Limerick and Kerry in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day, with segments fronted by celebrity chef Donal Skehan.
• Tourism Ireland will amplify global St Patrick’s Day celebrations through strategic festival partnerships, reaching audiences across the world. Coverage of the New York parade will be broadcast to around 8 million, generating buzz for Irish culture and visitation. The live NBC broadcast of the New York parade will feature pre-recorded segments with NBC producer Mike Mathis highlighting Ireland’s culture, heritage and scenery with a special focus on America 250 celebrations and the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann coming to Belfast in August.
• Tourism Ireland’s new global advertising campaign ‘Ireland Goes Beyond’ is live on TV, cinema, video streaming and digital, and is running across 15+ markets. The campaign celebrates how Ireland goes beyond people’s expectations of a holiday experience, by creating memorable connections with the people and the place.
• Tourism Ireland’s hero St Patrick’s Day video, which includes a haunting cover of Breathless by The Corrs, performed by Irish band Lemoncello, is live across markets and will reach 30 million. The video includes stunning footage of Ireland and captures the excitement of festivities happening around the island on 17^th The message is that, while the world goes green on one day of the year, Ireland’s beauty is evergreen.
• Tourism Ireland’s busy programme of consumer marketing activity is running across social media, email, website and publicity, in the run-up to and on St Patrick’s Day. The organisation will reach an audience of 7.5 million followers around the world across social channels alone.