Over 1 million Spaniards set to discover Ireland’s connection to author Jonathan Swift

Five leading journalists from high-profile Spanish media outlets – including daily newspapers and a popular historical podcast – have been exploring the island of Ireland and our literary hotspots, as guests of Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.

The journalists – who have a combined reach of more than 1 million people across Spain – are finding out about author Jonathan Swift, famed for penning many works including his masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels which celebrates its 300th anniversary this year. 

Their itinerary included a walking tour of Dublin with visits to St Patrick’s Cathedral, Marsh's Library, Swift’s birthplace Hoey’s Court, Tailors’ Hall and St Audoen’s Church. They also visited the Irish Writers Centre, viewed a marble bust of the author which is displayed in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin and stopped off at Dublin City Library & Archive. In Armagh, the group visited Armagh Robinson Library, which holds Swift’s personal annotated copy of Gulliver’s Travels, as well as St Patrick’s Cathedral and Gosford Forest Park, where he was known to frequent.  

Susan Bolger, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Spain, said:“Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite these influential Spanish journalists to come and discover more about Jonathan Swift – a celebrated figure in Irish literature – and his connections to Dublin and Armagh. This year marks the 300th anniversary of his most famous work ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, making this a special time for the journalists to visit. The articles and podcast episode produced by these journalists when they return home will reach over 1 million Spaniards, so this visit is a great opportunity to showcase our rich literary heritage to a wide audience of prospective Spanish visitors.”