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Home Page > News > Queen of England asked to turn Buckingham Palace green for St Patrick’s Day

Queen of England asked to turn Buckingham Palace green for St Patrick’s Day

Irish Tourism chiefs also set to reveal Kate Middleton’s Irish links

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Thursday, February 14, 2013, 7:16 AM

Updated Thursday, February 14, 2013, 8:55 AM

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Queen Elizabeth II at a garden party she hosted at Buckingham Palace

Photo by � PA

PHOTOS – Check it out the world’s iconic tourist spots “go green” for St. Patrick’s Day

Tourism chiefs want Buckingham Palace to go green on St Patrick’s Day – as they wait to unveil Kate Middleton’s Irish links.

Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland boss, has revealed to the Irish Independent that a formal request to turn the palace green for the day has been sent to the Queen.

Gibbons confirmed that he wrote to the Queen’s private secretary some months ago proposing the idea but as of yet has received no reply.

He also told the paper how the agency is currently studying an intriguing genealogy file that proves a strong Irish connection in Kate Middleton’s family tree.

The tourism body will reveal the link at a later date but Gibbons gave little away at a Dublin press conference, only saying that this connection was not an ancestor but a relation. He added: “It is a very interesting story.”

Famous worldwide landmarks are already signed up to go green on St Patrick’s Day in the ‘little emerald book’ campaign of Tourism Ireland.

The Sphinx and the pyramids will be ‘wearing the green’ according to the report .

Also signed up are the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Welcome sign in Las Vegas, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen and Bayern Munich’s stadium.

Old favourites like Niagara Falls, Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building in New York and Table Mountain in South Africa will again be flooded with green filter lights to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar told the press conference that the greening was probably ‘the most cost-effective’ thing done by tourism agencies, at a total cost of just $50,000 worldwide.

The Minister said: “That is really good value when you think about it.”

PHOTOS – Check it out the world’s iconic tourist spots “go green” for St. Patrick’s Day

See more: Irish Roots , St Patrick's Day , Irish News , Irish government

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41 Comments

15 - 41 | See all comments

paddyRanger | Feb 20, 2013, 01:52 AM EST

And you would lose, Loser

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seanomelb | Feb 19, 2013, 05:56 PM EST

I bet I have achieved more than you mad Paddy

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paddyRanger | Feb 19, 2013, 01:06 PM EST

You can't say anything for me, because YOU know nothing about me, ye failed waster

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seanomelb | Feb 18, 2013, 06:50 PM EST

still 100% Irish me boy more than I can say for you

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paddyRanger | Feb 17, 2013, 09:11 PM EST

"painting it green will only satisfy the plstic paddys no one gives a tos".............coming from a waster who had to move to Oz..........Plastic Aussie !

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seanomelb | Feb 17, 2013, 06:51 PM EST

painting it green will only satisfy the plstic paddys no one gives a toss

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AmericanReader | Feb 16, 2013, 07:31 PM EST

Dream on!! Not going to happen!

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AmericanReader | Feb 16, 2013, 07:20 PM EST

Dream on!! Not going to happen.

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Thomas84 | Feb 16, 2013, 04:00 PM EST

Who cares what colour they paint it ... maybe they can paint the names of all the people they killed on bloody sunday on it and while they are at it , let them paint the name of the butcher who commited it and detail his swift promotion for a job well done. Not all of us are so willing to sell out our country or our people for a pat on the head by the british.

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Thomas84 | Feb 16, 2013, 04:00 PM EST

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Smyrnian | Feb 16, 2013, 07:05 AM EST

God had input. Really? Defender of what faith? England is part of Great Britain, Towngate. You appear to not know this. Hit the books. You must have been missing in class the day that one came up!

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Towngate | Feb 15, 2013, 06:51 PM EST

FOR INFO ONLY: "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith." ........ NO MENTION of 'England' in her title at all, so no excuse for your ignorance on the matter.

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seanomelb | Feb 15, 2013, 06:41 PM EST

Press submit button wait a few seconds press refresh

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jacersagain | Feb 15, 2013, 05:31 PM EST

Will somebody in Irish Central’s IT Dept please sort out the problem hidden under the ‘Submit’ button? Some of us know how to get around it (Hit the ‘Submit’ button ONCE, AND ONCE ONLY; wait a few seconds (or hold your breath for 365 silly seconds), then hit ‘Return to article’ and then hit “See all comments” and yr post will be seen posted) but, beeeee-jaysus, there’s an awful lot of people who don’t.... Including me, forgetting me own advice. Apologies to everyone on that.

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jacersagain | Feb 15, 2013, 03:07 PM EST

Pardon me omitting (below) that the Red Cross of St. Patrick (diagonal red lines, not the St. George vertical and horizontal red lines) should appear on the White lighting up of the middle portion of BuckPal in my compromise solution.

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