Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new campaign to encourage those with Irish roots to discuss their connections with Ireland on Twitter.

‘My Irish 140’ campaign asked people to explore their association in 140 characters through Twitter. The campaign began at 1.40am on Friday morning and will continue for 140 hours.

Twitter users are being encourages to tweet about their connection to Ireland using the hash tag #makesmeirish and are welcome to include people and links.

Participants in the campaign will be entered in a competition for the grand prize 140-hour short break in Ireland, as well as smaller prizes which will be awarded every 140 minutes.

Tweets can refer to any connection people feel they have with the Emerald Isle.

“Tourism Ireland has been working hard to maximise the use of social media, including Twitter and Facebook, to promote the island of Ireland as a fantastic holiday and short break destination,” said  Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland chief executive.

“Twitter is a great way for us to promote Ireland and engage directly with potential British holidaymakers in 140 characters. We can keep in touch with people around GB, track what they are thinking, inform them about news and events in Ireland in a fun way, inspiring them to come and explore the island of Ireland, he said.

“The impact of online word-of-mouth cannot be underestimated, particularly when it comes to travel and holiday decisions. Tourism Ireland aims to be part of a lively conversation about Ireland, to engage with fans and get them talking about the many great things to see and do here. This is part of our overall marketing strategy which increasingly uses social media to complement both our traditional and other e-marketing channels,” he added.

Visit the twitter page here