Italian journalists have a ‘Wilde’ time on the island of Ireland

900,000+ Italians to read all about Oscar Wilde and our rich literary heritage 

Five Italian journalists – with a combined reach of over 900,000 readers – have been exploring the island of Ireland and some of our literary hotspots, as guests of Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI.

The journalists, who represent various online news platforms, magazines and newspapers, have been finding out more about one of our literary greats, Oscar Wilde. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the death of Oscar Wilde. Tourism Ireland’s aim is to highlight our rich literary heritage in Italy and inspire potential Italian holidaymakers to visit the island and explore that heritage in 2025 and beyond. 

The journalists’ busy itinerary featured lots of places associated with our literary heritage and Wilde – including Trinity College and the Book of Kells Experience, Marsh’s Library, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the Little Museum of Dublin and the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) in Dublin, as well as the Armagh Robinson Library. In Fermanagh, the journalists discovered the deep connections of Oscar Wilde to the town of Enniskillen – by enjoying the ‘Follow the Swallow’ trail and taking a boat tour on Lower Lough Erne, as well as visiting Portora Royal School. 

Marcella Ercolini, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Italy, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite these influential Italian journalists to discover more about some of our top cultural attractions and literary greats – and, in particular, Oscar Wilde. The articles the journalists write will be read by over 900,000 Italians, so this visit was a great opportunity to showcase our rich literary heritage to a wide audience of prospective Italian visitors. 

“Tourism Ireland undertakes a busy publicity programme around the world each year to raise the profile of the island of Ireland – and visits by influential journalists like these are a key element of that programme.”

Marco Piscitelli, AGI Newswire; Roberto Copello, Touringclub.it; Valeria Palieri, F magazine; Dario Bragaglia, La Stampa; Claudia Torresani, representing Tourism Ireland; and Antonia Matarrese, L'Espresso, at the Oscar Wilde House in Dublin.