Full listings for St Patrick's celebrations in Cork
Inspired by Irish myths and legends, and boasting a colourful mix of street theatre, outdoor food markets, crafts, music, culture, and the ‘greening’ of prominent buildings for the occasion, the 2014 St Patrick’s Day Festival is expected to be one of the best in the event’s eight-year history.
The highlight, the St Patrick’s Day Legends Parade, will be streamed live online from 12.30pm on corkstpatricksfestival.ie.
Viewers can send greetings to friends and family at home or abroad during the live stream — email to atparade@corkcity.ie or text to +353 (0)86 0401994.
The parade, which begins at 1pm, will be led by Grand Marshal Michael Flatley, who, with the Lord Mayor Cllr Catherine Clancy, will march from the South Mall to the Grand Parade, along St Patrick’s Street, finishing at Merchant’s Quay.
Along the way the parade will treat spectators to five specially commissioned giant art pieces inspired by legendary tales, including: Jonah and the Whale by Spraoi; The Phoenix by Bui Bolg; large-scale inflatable floats by LUXe; the Tractor Factor with Dowtcha puppets; and Life Beats from Cork Community Art Link.
The Barry’s Tea Market offers visitors 40 artisan food and crafts stalls.
For further information see corkstpatricksfestival.ie, Facebook @corkstpatricksfestival, or Twitter #corkpaddysfest.
Alan Happi of Scoil Na Croise Naofa Brass Band.
The town’s 28th parade will take place from Mallow Town Park at 2.30pm, proceeding down Main Street and past the reviewing platform outside Mallow Credit Union.
The Grand Marshal is Michael O’Neill, a cousin of the late US politician Tip O’Neill.
This parade will feature trapeze artistes and other circus entertainers from Circus Gerbola and starts at 3pm from the car park behind Down’s SuperValu.
The event, which will be covered by RTÉ, features 2,000 participants in 60 groups — the Irish Army, Comhaltas, Ballincollig Gymnastics Club, Ultra Flex, Ballincollig Taekwon Do Club, Pyke Theatre Group and all local clubs and societies. This year’s Grand Marshal is Belle of Ballincollig Lisa Baxter.
Organised by the dynamic Youghal4All group in association with the Youghal Pipe Band, the parade will begin at 3pm from the roundabout side of the Brehon Road.
There will be a range of prizes for best floats.
Liam Ryan of Youghal Vintage Club in the parade in Youghal
The 20th parade organised by the Clonakilty Town Twinning Association, and led by the Reserve Defence Force, will feature the Butter Exchange Band. It starts at 3pm from Faxbridge and finishes up at the Old Technical School. Prior to the parade the Clonakilty Brass Band will play at Astna Square.
This tiny West Cork village home to a population of less than 100 people, holds the Irish record for the greatest number of St Patrick’s Day parades to be hosted by a rural village of its size.
The 42nd will start at 3pm from the local school.
A spectacular display of circus skills by Boggle Circus Training, as well as a fire-eater, stilt walker and face-painters will be among the attractions at the parade which will also features 27 past and present town commissioners /town councillors to mark the last year of the town councils.
The parade begins at 2.30pm at St Patrick’s Church car park and will proceed through the main street, ending at near SuperValu at the top of South Main Street. A circus skills workshop by Boggle Circus Training will be provided afterwards at Ballymodan.
A record attempt for most leprechauns dancing a jig in Bandon.
Featuring a double parade, on both land and sea, the parade is a big attraction.
At 4.30pm, the Courtmacsherry lifeboat will leave from the ‘Gravely Point’. Escorted by a flotilla of harbour vessels, it will sail up the harbour with ‘Saint Patrick’ at the helm as, simultaneously, a land parade, led by a pipe and brass band, takes off from the local hotel through the village.
The town’s 31st parade starts at 11am from Cavanagh’s Garage, Cork Road, through McCurtain Street, finishing at the reviewing stand on Pearse Square.
The parade will feature community and sporting groups, from Fermoy Soccer Club to the local fire brigade, martial arts enthusiasts, dancing groups and vintage clubs.
The Grand Marshal is local historian and former Fermoy oarsman and quizmaster, Jim Lysaght.
Upper and Lower Cork Street in Michelstown will be closed to traffic from 12.45pm on St Patrick’s Day for Mitchelstown’s colourful parade, which begins at 1pm from George’s Street.
Features include a dual parade, on both land and sea to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
Tomorrow will bring a fireworks display and a colourful maritime parade in Kinsale Harbour from 7.30pm.
The land-based parade will take place at 4pm on Monday. Former Newport, Rhode Island councillor, Rick O’Neill, has been chosen as Grand Marshal and will be attending along with the mayor of Newport, Harry Winthrop. A group of firefighters from Kinsale’s American twin port will be led by Harp Donnelly IV and Kinsale fire brigade.
The parade will start at the car park near the fire station at New Road, before marching along the Glen, Pearse Street, Barry’s Place and the waterfront to the reviewing stand at the Pier Head. Music will be provided by the Carrigaline Pipe Band and Mayfield Brass and Reed Band.
To mark the final year of Kinsale Town Council past and present members will attend.
Geraldine Tyner at the parade in Kinsale.
The fun begins in Cobh with a St Patrick’s Day Teenage Disco tonight from 8pm-11pm at the Cobh (Great Island) Community Centre, with music by DJ-PAH.
Tomorrow at 7.30pm will be the St Patrick’s Day Concert with more than 160 performers, including The Molgoggers; Aoife Ryan School of Dancing; Co Cork School Of Music; An Gaelscoil and Great Island Fiddlers.
On Monday there will be entertainment on the St Patrick’s Day Parade reviewing stand near the Lusitania Peace Memorial from about 2.30pm. The parade starts from Cobh Heritage Centre at 3.30pm and will pass by the reviewing stand shortly afterwards.
This year’s parade, organised by Dunmanway Community Council, will start at St Patrick’s Church at 1.45pm, before being led by a piper up Chapel Street and Main Street to the viewing stand at Sam Maguire Plaza. Following the parade entertainment will include a display of vintage tractors and farm machinery by Johnston Vintage Club at the West End Yard.
Main Street will come alive with music at 3pm this St Patrick’s Day as the parade begins its march from Distillery Lane to the Goose’s Acre. A perpetual cup will be awarded to the best float. There will be an array of vintage vehicles and a display of cars by the East Cork Hot Rod club. Grand Marshal will be vice president of Midleton GAA, and former Cork hurler, Kevin Hennessy.
Organisers of the Midleton parade Louise Walsh and Sean Cunningham with Vivienne Gleeson, Kyle Kamdem and Kieran Connolly.
Before Schull’s main parade begins at 2pm — led by this year’s Grand Marshal Maura Allen, a member of Schull’s Tidy Towns Committee — there will be face painting for the children at the Parish Hall at noon. Afterwards there will be a social occasion for people of all ages at the Parish Hall between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. The afternoon will end with a prayer honouring the patron saint.
The St Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 2.30pm, ably led by Grand Marshal Chloe Kelleher, who in 2013 launched The Little Fighters’ Cookbook, which has raised more than €40,000 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin and won the accolade of ‘Best Quality and Fundraising Cookbook in Europe’.
The parade will start from the children’s playground on the Cork Road, continuing along North Street, before turning into Main Street, marching past the viewing platform on the Bridge and finishing in the Fairfield.
This year’s parade promises to be the biggest and most colourful to date with an expected 110 groups and floats.
The parade will be led by the Carrigaline Pipe Band with the Kieran Kramer Show Band bringing up the rear. All the sports clubs in the locality are marching while the Men’s Shed, Cogan’s Garage and Robert’s Cove Vintage Club are amongst the floats.
The parade begins at Dairygold at 1.30pm and people are asked to wear green and join in the festive spirit. Anyone within walking distance is asked to come on foot and motorists are asked to please keep the Main Street clear for the duration of the parade.
Eimear Curran and Rebecca Daly of Mahon.
If you’re living in the Macroom area and want to get into the mood for St Patrick’s Day, it’s worth going along to the performance by the Dónal Ring Céilí Band in the town’s Riverside Park Hotel this evening from 10pm. Tickets €10.
A special St Patrick’s Eve performance by Cor Godre’r Aran will take place in the Briery Gap at 8.15pm tomorrow night followed by an Auld Triangle Seisiún from 10pm.
Festivities surrounding the town’s colourful St Patrick’s Day Parade begin at 2pm on Monday, when spectators can enjoy Gerry McCarthy in concert from the reviewing platform followed by a dancing exhibition by the O’Sullivan School of Dance at 2.45pm.
Led by this year’s Grand Marshal, boxer and World silver medallist Christina Desmond, the parade begins at 3.30pm, followed by the famous Tony Moroney Magic Show in the Square at 5pm.
There will also be a feis supported by the O’Sullivan School of Dance in Community Leisure Centre at 5pm and at 9pm the Pot Belly Folk Group will perform in Dan Buckley’s Bar, Castle Hotel.
Once renowned for having the shortest parade in Ireland, Dripsey is running a special St Patrick’s Day Vintage Tractor and Car Run which is organised by the Vintage Association and will raise funds for the Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club on St Patrick’s Day.
Muskerry Autism Support Group and Dripsey Community Association will benefit from this year’s Dripsey Vintage Car and Tractor Run.
Registration is at 10am with Griffins garden centre supplying complementary refreshments before and after the run.
The cars and tractors will hit the road at noon and the winners of the various categories will be known at that stage. Prizes will be awarded for best car; best tractor; best original tractor; best dressed lady and gent; best vintage costume group (maximum 4 in a group); and best individual vintage costume.
The routes are as follows: Cars will travel via Coachford, Macroom Bridge, Kilnamartra, Reananerree, Ballymakeera, Clondrohid, Rusheen, Bealnamorrive, Peake and back to Griffin’s Garden Centre.
Tractors will go via Dripsey Bridge, Godfrey’s Cross, Fergus, Rooves Bridge, travel beside lake to Coachford Cemetery, Glashagorrive, Aghavrin, Luskin’s Bridge, Peake, Killabbey and back to Griffin’s Garden Centre for refreshments.
The parade starts from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál at 3pm sharp, proceeding past the Blarney Filling Station and into the village where it will pass the reviewing stand in the centre of the village Current Blarney Person of the Year John O’Donoghue is Grand Marshall.
Prior to, and following the parade, spectators can enjoy a full vintage display which will take place at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Secondary School grounds from 11am to 6pm, hosted by the recently formed Mid Cork Vintage Club.
Market stalls will be set up on the parking area in front of the Post Office and children’s amusements will be on offer within the grounds of Blarney Auto Centre.
A free Park and Ride bus runs to and from Blarney Business Park from 1pm-6pm.
St Patrick’s Day opens with the Duhallow Choral Society special Music celebration of Mass under conductor Sharon Reidy and accompanist Ian Sexton.
The afternoon parade will leave from the hospital car park at 2.30pm.
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