The Irish Emigration Museum Reminds Revellers to Look Beyond the Plastic This St. Patrick’s Day

In a continuation from their ‘This Is Not Us’ campaign for EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, The Public House are reminding revellers that there is more to St. Patrick’s Day than oversized shamrock glasses and plastic green tat. 

Amongst an incredibly competitive visitor landscape, the museum wanted to capture the attention of both tourists and locals, and convince them to visit the museum at CHQ on, and around, Ireland’s national day. It’s fair to say certain aspects of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations aren’t exactly reflective of Irish culture, and this campaign stands EPIC apart as an authentic experience that provides a thorough understanding of Ireland and its people. 

Working across OOH and social, the 'This is not us' campaign contrasts modern-day St. Patrick’s Day attire with historical images of Irish people. The campaign isn’t about raining on anyone’s parade, but encouraging tourists and locals alike to dig a little bit deeper and discover what it truly means to be Irish and how that meaning is forever tied to the people who have left these shores. 

According to Yvonne Murphy, the museum’s director of marketing, “it’s incredible that people come from all over the world to celebrate this small country, and Ireland’s history of emigration is a huge reason for that. We want people to have fun at the parade, deck themselves out in green and then come and learn a bit more about the country they are celebrating. “ 

Paddy O’Mahoney, associate creative director at The Public House said, “we took a visual approach that is playful and a bit absurd to make tourists and Irish people do a double take, reflect on what St Patrick’s Day is really about, and seek out some answers at the museum”. 

This campaign is the latest from The Public House, Ireland’s most awarded creative agency in 2022. With a client roster including Dunnes Stores, FBD, Cadbury, Paddy Power and EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum, this Dublin-based independent agency is known for its strategic rigour and creative edge that delivers for its clients, with a principle that ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’.