Sunny Limerick beamed into hundreds-of-thousands of UK homes ahead of St Patrick's Day

STUNNING scenes of a sunny Limerick were beamed into hundreds-of-thousands of homes in the UK ahead of St Patrick’s Day.

Celebrity chef Donal Skehan visited the city for ITV’s This Morning, hosted by Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard. The show, which also airs on Virgin One in Ireland, attracts around a half-a-million viewers daily.

Donal headed to the boardwalk on Clancy Strand with King John’s Castle looking regal in the background. There was even a rare glimpse of spring sunshine for his pieces to camera.

The chef then headed to the top of the castle where the city’s vista was showcased for those watching at home. Musicians Hazy Haze and Danny O’Neill added to the atmosphere as Donal chatted to Cat and Ben in studio in London.

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The visit was facilitated by Limerick City and County Council. A spokesperson said the coverage was instigated by Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. 

“They approached Discover Limerick DAC regarding using King John's Castle as a suitable location for filming and reached out to them directly on it.

“The filming was part of a three day publicity campaign they organised with Donal Skehan with filming happening in Cork, Limerick and Killarney, so we were very happy to be chosen as one of the locations they opted to put a spotlight on,” said a council spokesperson.

Taking to social media after his sojourn around Munster, Donal said he realised why we all love this country in the first place, saying he was given the famous Céad Míle Fáilte as he filmed scenes for This Morning.

“‘Three days zig-zagging around Kerry, Cork and Limerick filming and an amazing reminder that nobody does a welcome quite like the Irish,’ said Donal. 

‘So many brilliant welcomes, great characters, old stories, new stories, and more incredible food than any sensible person should eat in 72 hours. Huge thanks to everyone who opened their doors and got involved this week.”