Donegal Greening 2017 a Massive Success

With more than 70 million people around the world who claim links to the island of Ireland, St Patrick’s Day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage.

From modest beginnings in 2010, the Tourism Ireland Global Greening initiative has grown to become a significant worldwide reminder of both St Patrick’s Day itself and also of Ireland and its appeal as a visitor destination. From a tourism perspective, the true value of the Global Greening initiative is in the huge level of public interest and consequently worldwide media coverage that is generated about St Patrick’s Day and Ireland.

This year Donegal Tourism Ltd., in association with Donegal County Council, which launched the Greening in Donegal initiative in 2015, once again encouraged Donegal attractions, business premises, local beauty spots, churches and more to get involved in the Greening of their local area for the St. Patrick's Day week in 2017.

For this year's Greening in Donegal, everyone who took part was asked to post photographs of their 'Greening' onto their social media and use the hashtag #GreeningDonegal17

A hashtag allows you to organize online content and track discussion about topics based on a keyword with the # symbol in front of it. This works as a conduit through which all references to a particular event can be seen across all social media (facebook, twitter, snapchat, instagram etc) simply by searching the #GreeningDonegal17 hashtag. Very Smart!

All over the county, buildings were bathed in a soft green glow to show their participation in this year's Greening event and even more places than ever took part.

Among those who part this year were the Abbey Centre, An Grianan Hotel, Castle Folly, Oakfield Park, Castle Grove Houe Hotel, Coolmore Manor House, Creevy Cottages Experience, Discover Bundoran Office, Donegal Airport, Donegal Castle, Donegal County Museum, Donegal Luxury Glamping, Donegal Public Services Centre, Downings Bay Hotel, Errigal Hostel, Fanad Lighthouse, Harveys Point Hotel, Laurentic Bar "The Ship", Radisson Blu Hotel, Rathmullen Church, Redcastle Hotel, Roarty's shop and garage, Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort, Silver Tassie, Solis Lough Eske Castle and the Tullyarvan Mill Hostel.

Donegal Tourism has been re-sharing the pictures on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and people all over the world have been loving them! The photos have been receiving thousands of likes and shares across all types of social media.

Many people and buildings all over the county also joined in the fun for Donegal Greening 2017 and we look forward to having an even bigger Greening in Donegal next year!

Well done to everyone who took part this year and if you have any more photos from this event do send them into us at iga@countydonegaltourism.com

Let's Make Donegal the Greenest County in Ireland!

Donegal Tourism Ltd in association with Donegal County Council would like to encourage everyone to help make ‘Donegal the Greenest County in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day 2017.

This is the third year that Donegal Tourism has undertaken 'Greening Donegal' and it has grown from strength to strength, with lots of new buildings taking part every year. 

With Donegal named as the Coolest Place in the World in 2017, this year we want to put Donegal firmly on the map when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day Greening!

We would encourage everyone in Donegal to come together to green local landmarks, attractions, heritage sites and any other places or buildings that would look great in green! By working together we can make Donegal the Greenest County in Ireland for 2017. The benefits of which are far reaching and will positively impact on visitor numbers in the future.

Tourism Ireland are in their 8th year of greening worldwide where we see Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building in New York, the Sky Tower in New Zealand and the Great Wall of China (to name a few) to go green!

Why Go Green?
• The photo will be shared across websites and social networks for govisitdonegal.com, donegalgathering.com, malinwaters.com, donegaldiaspora.ie, donegalcoco.ie

• The photo will be included and circulated on all e-mail marketing campaigns including links back to your website and social media channels.

• The photo will be sent to Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland for further extensive marketing coverage.

• Your greening initiative will be included in local and national media campaigns both online and offline. This is a great way to showcase Donegal to the world!

Share to the @Go Visit Donegal facebook page which has 18,000 followers and we will share them from here 

Use Twitter @govisitdonegal and the images will be shared from here


Where can I purchase light filters?

• Light filters can be purchased in  lighting shops throughout €12.00 (please check with your local suppliers)

• Purchase the link on ebay here:  http://www.ebay.ie/itm/3-X-PRIMARY-COLOURS-Lighting-Filter-Gel-Sheets-21-x-48-PRIME-RED-BLUE-GREEN-/151368912001?hash=item233e4a4c81:g:mZ4AAOSwQYZWt2tN

​How to apply green light filter ?
Click here to find out how to apply the green light filter.


How to Go Green?

• Get together with local community groups and decide on a location to go green.

• Utilise existing lighting - the campaign should be cost effective rather than cost generating

• If the attraction is flood lit, then green lighting gels are an easy and inexpensive way to go green and these can be purchased online or in some specialist lighting shops.

• Arrange for your chosen location to go green on or before St. Patrick's Day

• Promote on your own websites and social media channels.

• Tag @govisitdonegal on ​F​acebook and ​T​witter 
• ​Use hastag #greeningdonegal17​

• While there is no funding available, it is hoped that local communities will be able to organise greening projects themselves and in return they will receive extensive free marketing coverage

• Donegal Tourism Ltd will include your greened location on all marketing campaigns!

TIP: Lighting Filter Gels Explained

One of several options for 'greening' is to use Lighting Filter Gels, which are transparent coloured material often used in theatre lighting. Gels are a cost effective (paper) thin sheet of polycarbonate/polyester and can be placed in front of existing flood lights to give a nice colour effect, ideal for Greening!



Filter Gels are made so that they can withstand high temperatures and can be purchased online or in some lighting shops.They come in rolls that can be cut to size. Google 'lighting filter gels' for more information. It is recommended that you seek advice on purchasing the correct lighting gel for safety reasons.


Go Green, Get Involved!

​Details also available on www.countydonegaltourism.com website

10 Cool Things to do in Donegal

Donegal really is capturing the imagination of visitors these days! It's a tribute to all the people here in the tourism, food and hospitality industries who have invested in their business over the years so that what we can offer to guests coming to Donegal is now second to none in the country!

As Donegal was recently awarded the title of "Coolest Place to Visit in 2017" by National Geographic Traveler we decided to ask some locals around the county what they thought were the Cool Things to Do in Donegal. And as "what is cool" depends on your perspective we uncovered a wonderful and diverse range of options!

So, check out these 10 Cool Things to do in Donegal:


1. View the Northern Lights


Fancy a glimpse of the jaw-droppingly beautiful Aurora Borealis aka The Northern Lights? Well Donegal definitely offers your best chance. Some of the best sightings of the Northern Lights have been in Donegal throughout the county. Visit Inishowen has lots of tips on how best to see these stunning shimmering solar phenomena.
Find out more at www.visitinishowen.com




2. Visit the Star Wars Filming Location

Scenes for the new film, "Star Wars : The Last Jedi", were recently filmed at Malin Head on the Inishowen Peninsula. Star Wars is one of the biggest movie series of all time and now you can go and visit the secret location where some of the latest film was shot. And it's not in a galaxy far, far away! See also www.discoverireland.ie/MalinHead






3. Walk on Top of Ireland’s Highest Sea Cliffs

The Slieve League Cliffs in Donegal are actually the highest sea cliffs on the island of Ireland. In fact, these spectacular sea cliffs are among the highest in Europe, plunging some 600m! That's nearly three times the height of their County Clare sisters. The views from the top are simply stunning and you can Walk the top of One Man's Pass, if you dare! Find out more at www.sliabhliag.com




4. Try your hand at Sea Stack Climbing

Scale new heights or dangle down a sea stack along the Wild Atlantic Way! Donegal has some of the most outstanding sea stacks in the northern hemisphere and you can join professional climbers Iain Miller of Unique Ascent or Bren Whelan of Donegal Climbing to brave the rock face and discover some of Donegal’s amazing climbable mountains, cliffs and sea-stacks..



5. Walk Uncharted Waters on Donegal's famous Beaches!

 There is no doubt that Donegal is home to some of Ireland’s most stunning and usually uncrowded beaches. Check out Portsalon, Stroove at Greencastle, Culdaff Beach, Trá Mór Beach at Dunfanaghy, Fintragh, St. John's Point, Port Beach, Rossnowlagh and many more! The beautiful Nairn Beach, at Portnoo, which was recently awarded the No.9 Best Beach in Ireland by TripAdvisor! See a full list of Donegal's Blue Flag beaches at www.govisitdonegal.com/do/blueflag-beaches



6. Enjoy some of the Best Food in Ireland!

Donegal is a foodie paradise with local produce in abundance with seafood in particular a speciality. Killybegs, the deepest natural harbour in Ireland, supplies fresh fish to the whole county and in most of the local harbours small fishing boats land lobster, crab and various delicious fish varieties every morning! Wash down your meal with one of the locally brewed Donegal Beers for a real taste of the county. Eat where the locals eat and you won't be disappointed! See www.govisitdonegal.com/eat/



7. Discover the Secrets of Glenveagh National Park

Glenveagh is the second largest national park in Ireland. Home to Glenveagh Castle on the shores of Lough Veagh the famous castle gardens feature a rich collection of southern hemisphere species trees and shrubs and a diverse Rhododendron collection.  A guided tour of the castle takes approximately 30 minutes but a whole day could be spent exploring the castle and gardens! See www.glenveaghnationalpark.ie

8. Step Back in Time at Fintown Railway

Lovingly restored to its original condition, the red-and-white 1940s diesel railcar runs along a rebuilt 5km section of the former County Donegal Railway track along picturesque Lough Finn. The return trip, which includes commentary, takes around 40 minutes. For more details and rail-car running times See www.antraen.com



9. Go Birdwatching on Tory Island

Tory Island is one of the last safe havens for the endangered bird, the Corncrake and thousands of puffin make their home on the high cliffs of Tory from May to July. The island is also home to Peregrine, Chough, Curlew, Lapwing, Razorbill, Kittiwake, Oystercatchers and several other varieties. The King of Tory, Patsaí Dan Mac Ruaidhrí, one of the original members of the famous Tory School of Art and an avid birdwatcher himself, meets the daily ferry with a song and a smile! See more at www.govisitdonegal.com


10. Ride the Surf of the Wild Atlantic Way

Donegal is internationally recognised as the spiritual home of Irish surfing! Bundoran, Rossnowlagh and Mullaghmore are regular hosts to international surfing competitions with several world-class waves. More challenging waves are found in the wilds of Inishowen, Fanad Head, Dunfanaghy, Bloody Foreland and Dungloe. Excellent facilities for both surfers and kite surfers are available, making Donegal a true surfer's paradise! See more at www.govisitdonegal.com


Enjoy! Let us know when you discover your favourite Coolest Thing to Do in Donegal!

Donegal Tourism TV Ad with Virgin Media

Donegal Tourism is kicking off our domestic campaign with a new TV advert. Running on Virgin Media starting on 13th March for one week, this advert has been created to highlight that Donegal is named the world's 'coolest' destination for 2017 by National Geographic Traveller and also won Ireland’s 'Hidden Gem' award by Irish Independent readers.

We are delighted with the outcome of the video and it is a great showcase for Donegal and its recent accolades.  

The new ad is 30 seconds in length and with over 2 million viewers on TV3, B3 3e it will help us in our quest to put Donegal firmly on the map of staycation options!


Watch the new Go Visit Donegal advert here: 

This is a great time for providers and tourism businesses to create Easter/ Summer packages on your websites to go alongside the timing of the advert to entice visitors to book . 

If you need any further clarity, get in touch: info@govisitdonegal.com