For the second year in a row, some of Dublin’s best-known buildings were illuminated in red to mark the 2017 Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Rooster.
Following last year’s inaugural celebration in lights, which saw the Mansion House and City Hall illuminated in red for Chinese New Year, 12 Dublin buildings and landmarks in Dublin city centre, Smithfield and The Liberties are lighting up red this year, to mark the beginning of the Year of the Rooster. They include:
- City Hall
- Civic Offices, Wood Quay
- Chester Beatty Library
- Mansion House
- National Concert Hall
- Smithfield Square
- Smithfield Tower
- Convention Centre Dublin
- Trinity College Dublin
- Medieval city walls and the gates on Cook Street (The Liberties)
- Glass spire of the Pearse Lyons Distillery (The Liberties)
- Westin Dublin
Dublin City Council and Tourism Ireland arranged for these civic buildings and sites to be illuminated in red in appreciation of Beijing’s agreement to turn the iconic Great Wall of China into the ‘Green Wall of China’ once again on St Patrick’s Day this year – joining Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative for the fourth year in a row. The installation of green lights on the famous wall will be made possible by the combined efforts of the Irish Embassy and the Tourism Ireland team in China, as well as the Beijing Municipality Government.
Tourism Ireland in China will share images of the various Dublin sites illuminated in red – via its social media channels (over 110,000 followers on WeChat and Weibo) – highlighting our rich heritage to potential Chinese visitors and as a gesture of friendship between Ireland and China.
Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive, Tourism Ireland, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to co-operate with Dublin City Council once again this year to arrange for 12 sites to light up in red, to mark the start of Chinese New Year. 2017 marks the eighth year of Tourism Ireland’s annual Global Greening initiative and the fact that a major UNESCO World Heritage Site like the Great Wall of China is taking part is a major triumph. China is an important emerging travel market and one that Tourism Ireland is committed to growing over the coming years.”
