Irish festivals now are worth more than £50 million in overseas tourism revenue, the Minister for Tourism said. The 1997 St Patrick's Festival was watched in 300 million homes taking a Eurovision broadcast and seen by 400,000 live in Dublin, Dr McDaid said yesterday.
This year's festival would run for four days under the theme "Magic", he said. It will begin with a fireworks display on March 14th which, the organisers say, will be the biggest ever seen in Ireland. Ms Marie Claire Sweeney, executive director of the festival, said participants would be seen by festival organisers from all over Europe as the International Festivals and Events Association would hold its annual convention in Dublin in March.
It will include a monster ceile, to be known as Reelin' round the Green, between Kildare and Dawson Street. The Kilfenora Ceili Band will provide the music and dancing masters will be on hand to provide tuition for novices.
Els Comediants, the Catalan theatre group, has been commissioned to work with a number of Irish professional artists and four Dublin community groups to create a major night-time spectacleon the evening of March 16th.
Dr McDaid said he was pleased that the St Patrick's Festival would reach out beyond Dublin. The festival is commissioning professional theatrical companies to create and develop pageants with community groups in their areas.