Dublin, 13th March 2000
ireland.com site unites global Irish village

Irish communities from as far afield as Nepal, Uganda, Australia and the US will be partying for St Patrick's Day this year, and have come together on ireland.com's St Patrick's Festival 2000 site to publicise their upcoming events. Launched last week, the site unites the global Irish village with free video greetings, live webcasts and e-cards.

The site features listings on St Patrick’s Day festivities around Ireland and reports from correspondents around the world, including the Emerald Ball in Tokyo, barbeques on Bondi Beach and music and craic in Montreal.

Interactive elements include games, discussion forums, online polls and a chance to win Aer Lingus flights in our special St Patrick’s Festival quiz.

This year’s parade which promises to be a spectacular event, along with other festival activities in Dublin, will be broadcast in live video on the site. Video footage of past parades, from as far back as 1931, is also available.

The site also features a free video greetings service. Those interested in recording a greeting to a friend or relative anywhere in the world can come to The Irish Times front office in D'Olier Street from Tuesday, March 14th until Thursday, March 16th to do so. The greeting will be available on the site the following day. Bookings to record a greeting can be made by emailing stpatricks@irish-times.com or by phoning (01) 679 2022 ext.8700.

The President, Mrs McAleese, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, have already recorded their video greetings to Irish people around the world.

And just to get you in the mood for St Patrick's Festivities, you can listen to a selection of Irish music on audio as you browse.

www.ireland.com/events/st.patricks

ireland.com from The Irish Times is Ireland’s leading web site with over 10.2 million pages impressions a month (certified ABC Electronic audit for October 1999). The site is a destination site for Ireland aimed at Internet users both in Ireland and around the world. ireland.com incorporates the online edition of The Irish Times, and a number of stand-alone sites covering breaking news, sports, business, technology, jobs, tourist information, weather, the Northern Ireland peace process and a Dublin city guide.

Back to Press release index