Ireland's Ashford Castle Turns Green for St. Patrick's Day

The historic Ashford Castle in County Mayo in the west of Ireland is among the world's most iconic buildings set to turn green for St. Patrick's Day this coming Friday, March 17 - a first for the 800-year-old property.

Now in its eighth year, the global initiative was started by Tourism Ireland to encourage some of the world's most renowned landmarks, buildings and statues to light up in green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day internationally. Ashford Castle stands in good company with other landmarks being illuminated in green this year, including Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro; the London Eye; the Empire State Building and World Trade Center in New York; Niagara Falls and the Great Wall of China.

Following a three-year restoration of the building by owners Red Carnation Hotels, the property reopened in April 2015 with 83 elegantly designed guest rooms all with state-of-the-art amenities, hand-picked antiques, and sumptuous linens. It is renowned for a range of country sports, including an equestrian center, fly fishing, clay target shooting, kayaking, zip lining, tennis, an exclusive nine-hole golf course and Ireland's first school of falconry.

Facilities also include a spa, cinema, billiards room, and several dining rooms and bars. Once home to the Guinness family for more than 100 years, the five-star Ashford Castle and its 350-acre estate offers guests the ultimate fairy tale escape, where guests can truly live like kings and queens.

General Manager, Mr. Niall Rochford, commented, "We are honored to be among the world's iconic buildings to turn green this St. Patrick's Day. Ashford Castle is steeped in history, from its Norman origins to the days of Lord and Lady Ardilaun of the Guinness family. We are delighted to contribute to Ireland's thriving tourism industry and in particular, helping to grow visitor numbers to the West of Ireland. This is the first year for the Castle to turn green and we hope this will become an annual tradition."