On Friday, 16 October, America woke up to Kenmare Bay. NBC's TODAY show — the biggest morning programme on US television — broadcast all four hours live from Sheen Falls Lodge in Co Kerry, with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks behind the anchor desk and Tourism Ireland as presenting sponsor. For an island that depends on the American market more than almost any other, it was the kind of shop window money rarely buys.
A first for TODAY — and a big moment for Kerry
NBC announced the trip on 10 September, confirming that the show's full weekday line-up would travel: Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer, Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones, with NBC News chief international correspondent Keir Simmons also on the ground. According to the Irish Examiner, it was the first time all seven anchors had travelled for the show.
Tourism Ireland says TODAY reaches an average of around three million viewers every day, with a combined social media audience of 30 million across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Kerrygold and Primark came on board as segment sponsors, and Sheen Falls Lodge hosted the team. The broadcast was free to attend, and Kenmare locals packed in alongside crew, media and guests.
Siobhan McManamy, Tourism Ireland's Director of Markets & Partnerships, said: "We are confident that the four-hour broadcast will give viewers a taste of what makes the island of Ireland such a wonderful place to visit and inspires them to put the destination on their holiday wish list."
Cliffs, sheep farms and a session in Crowley's
The anchors arrived days early and got out and about. Al Roker flew in on the Monday and went to the Cliffs of Moher even though he wasn't scheduled to — "I thought I've come all this way. I got to go see that. And it was amazing," he told the Irish Examiner. NBC's own coverage took viewers to the Cliffs, the golf course at Adare Manor and beyond, while anchors visited Kissane sheep farm and dairy farms in Kerry.
The night before the broadcast, the team headed to Crowley's bar in Kenmare for pints, a few jigs and a sing-song, with Roker trying his hand at the bodhrán. On air, they tackled Guinness, Irish dancing and the language — students from Coláiste Íde in Dingle taught Jenna Bush Hager to say good morning as Gaeilge.
Irish food, fashion and famous faces
Food was front and centre. Sheen Falls Lodge executive head chef Mark Treacy and Catherine Fulvio both cooked live, and Sheinelle Jones admitted she was spreading Irish butter "like it's whipped cream." There were segments on Irish linen and wool, on hurling and on traditional music.
Domhnall Gleeson — introduced by Craig Melvin as "Ireland's son" — talked about his series The Paper over a Tayto crisp sandwich. Sharon Horgan handed out Johnnie Onion Rings, Club Rock Shandy and Cadbury chocolate. Carson Daly met a long-lost cousin, Christine McNally, for the first time, with genealogist Fiona Fitzsimons filling in his family story. The show closed with members of the current Riverdance troupe dancing against the bay.
Why the American audience matters
North America is one of Ireland's most valuable visitor markets, and TV like this is how holidays get planned. Sheinelle Jones said her first post from Ireland drew double the response of her Met Gala coverage — a sign of how far a broadcast like this travels beyond the live hours. Dylan Dreyer summed up the trip: "It's like being in a postcard."
The timing helps too. CSO figures show 4.7 million overseas overnight visits to Ireland in the first eight months of 2026, up 11% on the same period in 2025. Putting Kerry, Clare, Irish food and Irish people into millions of American living rooms on one autumn morning is exactly the kind of push that turns a wish list into a booking for 2027.
The Bottom Line
For four hours, the most-watched morning show in America treated Ireland as the main event — not a backdrop. The scenery got the headlines, but what the anchors kept coming back to was the welcome. As Al Roker put it: "The thing that's made it really are the people. They seem so glad to see us." For Kenmare, for Kerry and for Irish tourism, that's a message worth more than any ad campaign.