THE GLOBAL GREENING campaign this year may incorporate the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine, the Taoiseach has indicated. 

Micheál Martin told the Dáil this afternoon the Government is looking at how the campaign that coincides with the St Patrick’s Day celebrations around the globe can be modified to include “Ukrainian theme” this year. 

Independent Galway TD Sean Canney asked the Taoiseach to consider raising the Ukrainian flag alongside the Irish flag at all Irish embassies during St Patrick’s Day week, as well as including Ukraine in the Global Greening initiative. 

Hundreds of iconic landmarks and sites in over 50 countries are set to go green next week to mark St Patrick’s Day, including the London Eye and famous waterways including Niagara Falls. 

“The global greening programme, in partnership with Tourism Ireland, has has been enormous success over the years. We’re re examining that for St. Patrick’s Day in terms of how we can interweave this Ukrainian theme as well,” the Taoiseach told the Dáil. 

“We have considered it in Government… We have evolved our tone and theme of St. Patrick’s day next week, from an overt focus on Ireland to a broader focus on the fact that Ireland is an active, engaged and fully committed member of the international community that stands by democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

“We will use St. Patrick’s Day, the week basically, to highlight our solidarity with Ukraine and the values that Ukrainian people are standing for,” he said.

The Taoiseach said the various speaking occasions, ministers and officials who travel abroad will highlight a situation in Ukraine and Ireland’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

“Members of government will represent Ireland in around 40 countries across the globe in Europe, in America and Asia, and we’ll use those occasions to reassert our unequivocal commitment to democracy and to the people of Ukraine,” he said. 

“We’re looking at ways to recognise Ukraine and its people at official receptions that will be organised. No Russian or Belarusian representatives will be invited to any official St. Patrick’s Day events,” he confirmed. 

“We think that the unique access that St. Patrick’s Day gives Ireland around the world, we can use that unique access as a platform to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and to seek to strengthen the global coalition of support for Ukraine and its people.

“I think it’s appropriate that we do so as an active, engaged and fully committed member of the international community of free and democratic nations, and to reassert our solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” said Martin.