Bord Bia reveals St Patrick’s Day promotions across 15 countries
During March, Bord Bia's Spirit of Ireland campaign in North America aims to educate bar and restaurant professionals on premium Irish spirits.
From London to Singapore, Irish food and drink will take centre stage this March as Bord Bia rolls out its St Patrick’s Day programme.
Throughout March, Bord Bia’s overseas offices will be co-ordinating over 40 St Patrick’s Day events across 15 countries and four continents.
Highlights of events this year across priority European and international markets include Irish produce being showcased to over 50,000 people in the UK at the Lord Mayor of London's official St Patrick’s Day consumer event at Trafalgar Square, as well as a Taste of Ireland activation in Singapore to champion Irish suppliers through specially curated Irish menus.
Bord Bia CEO, Jim O’Toole, said: “St Patrick’s Day continues to be an incredible opportunity to drive commercial opportunities for Irish companies and to showcase the versatility of Irish food and drink globally. We have a global programme underway, with everything from promotional events for dairy in China, and for the drinks sector in Canada, Nigeria, and the US; to beef promotions across Europe.
"Bord Bia’s activities in March are all about backing Irish producers, growing strong relationships around the world, and continuing to demonstrate to our international customers why Ireland is a trusted source of great food and drink.”
Key events span across the UK, North America, Europe and Asia.
Bord Bia is sponsoring London’s St Patrick’s Day Parade at Trafalgar Square, which attracts over 50,000 visitors annually.
The UK market is Ireland’s number one destination for food, drink and horticulture, worth €6.4bn and accounting for 35% of Irish food and drink exports in 2025.
In North America, Bord Bia is hosting ‘Spirit of Ireland’ workshops for premium bar and restaurant professionals in Toronto, Boston and New Hampshire.
These are educational events around the heritage and evolution of the Irish spirits industry, with workshops hosted by Dave Mulligan, owner of ‘Bar 1661’ in Dublin, who is leading cocktail masterclasses around Irish spirits and their potential use in cocktails, which is an underdeveloped space for Irish companies in the US.
The Italy campaigns promoting Irish beef are taking place across 190 Esselunga supermarkets at over 500 locations, including 200 billboards and 80 metro stations in Northern Italy, where Irish beef will be highly visible to Italian consumers. Also one of Milan’s well-known butchers, Giorgio Pellegrini, will be featuring new Irish beef dishes weekly in his restaurants.
In France, 19 Irish food and drink suppliers will have the opportunity to showcase Irish dairy and seafood products to Carrefour’s c-suite and key purchasing decision makers at Carrefour’s flagship store in Paris. This initiative builds upon an established relationship with the global retailer.
In Germany, key trade shows with over 120,000 visitors will take priority throughout March.
At ProWein — the world's leading trade fair for wine and spirits — Bord Bia is exhibiting with 17 Irish drink companies in Düsseldorf. In Hamburg, four Irish consumer food companies will be exhibiting their products at the international trade fair, Internorga.
Singapore will have Bord Bia’s ‘Taste of Ireland’ activation working with leading local restaurants to champion Irish suppliers for a month-long campaign by uniting eight Singaporean venues, including, for the first time, bars, to showcase exclusive creations inspired by Ireland’s world-class produce and craft spirits.
In Thailand, Bord Bia plans to host a dedicated foodservice activation spotlighting Irish beef and a wave of newly launched Irish seafood brands, giving chefs and media a first-hand taste of the high-quality produce now available in the market.
