Greening tower of Pisa to make debut

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the latest landmark turning green for St Patrick’s Day.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the latest landmark turning green for St Patrick’s Day.

The 183ft high Italian attraction will join other sites in a "global greening" to mark Ireland’s national day of celebration.

Last month, Tourism Ireland revealed Niagara Falls, the London Eye, Burj al Arab in Dubai and Table Mountain in South Africa would all be illuminated green as part of the international spectacle on March 17th.

Since then, San Francisco’s Coit Tower and City Hall, Selfridges department store in London, the Cibeles fountain in Madrid, Vienna’s Burgtheater, the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, and Moraira, a town on the Costa Blanca in Spain, have also come onboard.

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Brussels Town Hall, the Glasgow Eye and the Clyde Auditorium - affectionately known as “the Armadillo” in Glasgow - will also turn green for the day on Saturday.

Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar said the global greening will promote Ireland to millions of potential visitors around the world.

“Our job is to build on this fantastic occasion by encouraging them to visit Ireland,” he said. “We want to give them the green light to visit - literally. Traditionally, St Patrick’s Day has signalled the start of the tourism season in Ireland and this initiative will significantly raise Ireland’s profile,” he said.

The Municipal Stadium in Poznan, Poland, where Ireland will play two matches in this summer’s European Championships, has also been added to the greening list.

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said the displays will bring a smile to the faces of people around the globe. “We are absolutely delighted that so many well-known sites and attractions are eager to come on board with us and join in our celebration next weekend,” he said.

PA