THE GLOBAL GREENING campaign will not take place this year so monuments can be lit in Ukraine’s colours.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has written to all Irish embassies asking that embassies, monuments and other sites typically lit up green for St Patrick’s Day should instead be lit up in yellow and blue.

It is believed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ireland did not think it would be appropriate for the usual marketing campaign to go ahead as normal this year given the crisis in Ukraine. 

Some countries which have already lit up their buildings in yellow and blue were going to turn them off in order to go green on St Patrick’s Day, but it is understood the Government said they would rather they stay in the Ukrainian colours.

Micheál Martin told the Dáil during the week that the Government was 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. 

Hundreds of iconic landmarks and sites in over 50 countries were 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 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 earlier this week. 

Martin said the Government has evolved the tone and theme of St. Patrick’s day for next week, adding: 

“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.”