WRITER and actor Sharon Horgan and Derry Girls stars Saoirse Monica-Jackson and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell feature in a new advert which will air for the first time today.
The stars lead a television advert for Tourism Ireland’s Fill your heart with Ireland campaign, which goes live today - St Patrick’s Day - in Britain.
The advert, which sees the trio talk about their love for their homeland, is set to reach some 7.7million people when it airs for the first time this evening.
Derry Girls stars Saoirse Monica-Jackson and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell take to the streets of IrelandIn it Horgan, who has written and appeared in comedy hits such as Bad Sisters and Catastrophe, claims “the Irish are the funniest people in the world, they just are”.
She adds: “I think the reason I see comedy in everything is because I was surrounded by it growing up.”
Derry Girls stars Monica-Jackson and O’Donnell can be seen enjoying the sights of Northern Ireland, including a now iconic Derry Girls mural.
Watch the advert here....
Tourism Ireland has commissioned a series of adverts for their new campaign, which will be seen in Ireland’s key tourism markets - including Great Britain and Germany, followed by France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Nordic countries.
The campaign will continue to be rolled out in other markets over the coming weeks, including in the United States.
“The Fill your heart with Ireland campaign is all about celebrating the different ways in which the island of Ireland fills the hearts of our visitors and of locals – and inviting potential holidaymakers to come and experience those for themselves," a Tourism Ireland spokesperson explained.
"It’s an advocacy-led campaign – with the advocates, or personalities starring in the ads, sharing the things about Ireland which fill their hearts and dialling up what differentiates Ireland from other destinations."
Sharon Horgan enjoys oysters with friends at a traditional Irish pubThe first 60-second advert, featuring Horgan, Monica-Jackson and O'Donnell, is due to air 9.10pm tonight on more than 100 channels across Britain, including ITV, Channel 4, Dave and Channel 5.
Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “As people everywhere around the world celebrate St Patrick’s Day, we are delighted to roll out our new ‘Fill your heart with Ireland’ campaign this week.
“It will highlight our rich and authentic experiences, breath-taking landscapes and, in particular, our warm welcome – encouraging people to put the island of Ireland on their holiday ‘wish-list’ for 2023.”
He added: “Our aim is to deliver ‘stand-out’ for Ireland in the hugely competitive international marketplace.
“Our ‘Fill your heart with Ireland’ campaign will position the island of Ireland as a place that fills the heart and restores the spirit.
“Our people and welcome are key differentiators for Ireland from our competitor destinations; and this campaign puts them front and centre.”
