A special coffee table photo book was launched by Ireland’s leader Leo Varadkar to celebrate that for ten years over 360 tourist attractions and prominent landmarks have gone green for St. Patrick’s Day to honor the Irish national holiday.

Marking ten years of the “Global Greening” Ireland’s Taoiseach (Leader) Leo Varadkar TD Tourism Ireland to launch its new book, “Ireland’s Greening of the World”. The coffee table book tells the story of Tourism Ireland’s “Global Greening”, which began in 2010, and how it captured the imagination of people are the world.

Read more: Hundreds of global landmarks light up green for St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick's Day Global Greening: The Colosseum, in Rome.

St. Patrick's Day Global Greening: The Colosseum, in Rome.

The “Global Greening” sees hundreds of iconic landmarks around the world lit up green to celebrate the island of Ireland and St Patrick. The initiative first began in Sydney when the Sydney Opera House went green on 17 March 2010, on the 200th anniversary of a historic event celebrating Ireland, hosted by the then Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie.

The campaign has gone from strength to strength every year since then, with around 360 sites (or more) in at least 51 different countries set to take part for St Patrick’s 2019.

Leo Varadkar and Niall Gibbons launch  “Ireland’s Greening of the World” book for St. Patrick's Day.

Leo Varadkar and Niall Gibbons launch “Ireland’s Greening of the World” book for St. Patrick's Day.

Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening complements the Government’s Global Ireland strategy, which will see the initiative grow to 600 participating sites, by 2025.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said “Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening project is a powerful symbol of the impact of our Irish abroad and is an expression of our reach, our shared values, and our ambition.  The Global Greening project, like our diaspora, stretches across the world, to every continent, going beyond our historical connections into where we can now be found.

St. Patrick's Day Global Greening: The London Eye.

St. Patrick's Day Global Greening: The London Eye.

“As Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Trade, I was proud to support the development of this initiative and I encouraged our public buildings to take part in ‘the greening’.  Today, as Taoiseach, I am proud to see that so many places in Ireland and around the world are involved in this project, contributing to its enormous success. Congratulations to everyone that has been associated with this project here at home and around the world.”

Gibbons and Varadkar admiring the newly launched "Ireland’s Greening of the World" book.

Gibbons and Varadkar admiring the newly launched "Ireland’s Greening of the World" book.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said “The success of our Global Greening is due in no small part to the great work that has been carried out across the world by Irish people and the Diaspora.

He added “More than 70 million people around the world claim links to the island of Ireland and St Patrick’s Day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage. We will distribute ‘Ireland’s Greening of the World’ through Tourism Ireland’s offices around the world and through the Irish embassy network.”

"Ireland’s Greening of the World" is available to buy in bookshops and online here. 

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