On a day of huge celebration for us here in Ireland, it's always lovely to see countries all over the world getting in on the craic.

This year 290 landmarks and sites in 48 countries around the world will be illuminated in green over the weekend in honour of St Patrick's Day. [caption id="attachment_394446" align="alignnone" width="1453"] Keep Memory Alive Centre, Las Vegas[/caption]   It's part of Tourism Ireland's Global Greening initiative to celebrate everything that's brilliant about Ireland. "This is the ninth year of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative and it’s bigger and better than ever this year," said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland. [caption id="attachment_394448" align="alignnone" width="3360"] Lion of Judah Monument, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia[/caption]   Among this year's new additions are the UN headquarters in New York, the Luxur Obélisque in Paris, the Irish Embassy in Rome, a lion statue made entirely from flip flops in Kenya, The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas and the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in New York. They join sites like the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. [caption id="attachment_394449" align="alignnone" width="2304"] The Irish Embassy, Rome[/caption]   The initiative does more than just help celebrate Paddy's Day worldwide - it's key for attracting visitors to these shores, Niall explained. "St Patrick’s Day traditionally marks the real start of the tourism season for us," he said. [caption id="attachment_394453" align="alignnone" width="4328"] Zhonhyuan Tower, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China[/caption]   "Our aim is to bring a smile to the faces of people around the world and to convey the message that Ireland offers the warmest of welcomes and great fun, as well as wonderful scenery and heritage. "We are using every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile this week; the saturation coverage about Ireland across the global airwaves, in newspapers and digital media, is an invaluable boost for our overall 2018 tourism promotional drive."