St. Patrick's Festival was established by the government of Ireland in 1995. The principal aim of St. PatrickÕs Festival, since its inauguration, is to develop a major annual international festival around the national holiday over which the ÔownersÕ of the festival, the Irish people, would stand proud. It sets out to reflect the talents and achievements of Irish people on many national and world stages, and it acts as an exciting showcase for the manifold skills of the people of Ireland, of every age and social background. As the one national holiday that is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other, St. PatrickÕs Day is the day when everyone wants to be Irish. Preparation for the first St PatrickÕs Festival used to take only 5 months, but with the growth of the Festival to a multi-day event, it now takes 18 months to plan for IrelandÕs biggest annual celebration. What our Sponsors Say: Partnering with St. PatrickÕs Festival has had many benefits for the National Lottery brand. Through our sponsorship of Skyfest we have connected directly with our target market in a celebratory, unique and entertaining way, which has promoted affinity with our brand. - Eddie Banville, Head of Marketing, National Lottery We have worked with St. PatrickÕs Festival for the last three years and they have been a pleasure to deal with in every aspect. -Carmel Breheny, Marketing Manager, Marks and Spencer, Ireland