The 'greening' of the Spire

Huge crowds flocked to Loyd, outside Kells, on Tuesday of last week, for a ceremony in which US Deputy Ambassador to Ireland, John Hennessy Niland, switched on lights which turned the Spire of Loyd green. The event was part of a worldwide initiative by Tourism Ireland which saw famous monuments around the world lit up in green to showcase Ireland's tourism product to a huge global audience. This year's 'greening' initiative included lighting up landmarks such as the Table Mountain in South Africa, London's Millennium Eye, the Empire State Building in New York, the Moulin Rouge in Paris and the Sydney Opera House in green to highlight Ireland's warm welcome for visitors. The Spire of Loyd, an important landmark since 1791, was visible in green from 10km away when the envoy switched on the lights on Tuesday night of last week. The deputy ambassador was welcomed to the town by Kells Town Council cathaoirleach, Conor Ferguson, and Kells Chamber of Commerce president, Geraldine Gaughran. Mr Hennessy-Niland was introduced to members of Kells Town Council and he spoke to the children and people of the town who had gathered for the event. The deputy ambassador climbed to the top of the tower, where he switched on the lights. Below, young members of the Kells Musical and Dramatic Society dressed as fairies, fluttered around the tower, bathed in green light. They were visible from the top of the tower and created quite a spectacle. The ambassador spoke about the warm welcome he had received in Kells and in Ireland generally. As a third generation Irish-American, coming to Ireland had been like coming back home. Lucy O'Reilly spoke to Mr Hennessy Niland about the Kells Tourism forum, while presentations were also given by Kells Anglers, Headfort Golf Club and Kells Town Council. The evening ended with refreshments in Jack's Railway Bar, where music was provided by traditional band, Black Shamrock. The spire is owned and maintained by Kells Town Council and plans are well advanced for the controlled opening of the tower to the public in 2011. Kells Tourism Forum is a community group set up to promote tourism products in Kells. It is in the process of printing and distributing a new high-quality tourism brochure for Kells, which will carry the Meath and Boyne Valley brands and will fill a sorely needed gap in visitor information locally.