A number of iconic buildings and structures around the country turned red for World Heart Day 29th of September

(Image: the Rock of Cashel by Vincent Flynn Photography)

Tuesday 29th September was World Heart Day and Ireland’s historic Rock of Cashel in Cashel Co Tipperary and Cork’s City Hall are just two of 14 buildings around the country that lit up red to mark the occasion.

In Dublin, a total of six buildings illuminated in red including, Dublin Castle, the Mansion House in Dublin, the CHQ Building, the Convention Centre, Croke Park, and the 3 Arena. Others around the country include the Cavan Courthouse in Cavan town, Charles Fort, the City Hall and the Country Hall in Cork, the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary, as well as the County Buildings and Princess Quay Buildings in Tralee, Co Kerry, and Killarney Town Hall.

World Heart Day marks the end of the Irish Heart Foundation’s month-long Escape Your Chair campaign to get the country to escape their chairs and stand up for heart disease.

Thousands have signed up to our September ‘Escape Your Chair’ campaign, which has been getting the country moving for one minute every hour during the working day.

Commenting Tara Curran, Physical Activity Coordinator with The Irish Heart Foundation said, “We have had a fantastic reaction from the public to our Escape Your Chair challenge.  With so many people working from home at the moment, the campaign has raised awareness of the dangers of sitting for long periods and has given people a fun way to challenge themselves to move more regularly.’

“Here in the Irish Heart Foundation, we reduced our meeting times to allow staff to move more every hour in the working day. We also organised a number of staff engagement activities like exercise and yoga classes. Thanks to the month-long activity calendar with a different activity every day we have all managed to sit less this September, and are heartened that so many members of the public joined in too.”

To mark World Heart Day next Tuesday (29 September) the Irish Heart Foundation  and many other around the country and further afield hosted a Stand Up Coffee Morning to raise vital funds for the charity.

The Irish Heart Foundation invited the nation to stand up for their loved ones, friends, and colleagues who are affected by heart disease and stroke. Every euro raised by the coffee morning will be spent on our vital programmes and support services in the community.