Ford set to lead Cork's St Patrick’s Day parade

From Model Ts to muscle cars — a fleet of historic Ford vehicles will lead Cork’s St Patrick’s Day parade as the company marks its 100-year connection to the city.

A 1922-built three-litre Model T, one of the 15.8m built by Ford between 1908 and 1927, a Fordson tractor, the iconic Cortina, and the company’s latest hi-tech muscle car, the Mustang, will lead some 3,000 participants in parade through the city centre.

A grand marshall is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Organised by Cork City Council, the parade on Friday, March 17, is expected to attract up to 50,000 spectators, kicking off a festival weekend across the city featuring a pop-up festival food and craft market, traditional Irish music with the Lee Sessions, exhibitions celebrating culture, as well as theatre, music, guided tours, and talks.

Up to 3,000 people are expected to march in the ‘city of community, culture, and commerce’-themed parade with community groups, marching bands, and floats.

Renowned spectacle and street performance companies Cork Community Artlink, Macnas, Spraoi, and Dowtcha Puppets have been commissioned to create a series of innovative floats.

The Spraoi float has been designed to celebrate the legacy of the Copper Mines in Allihies in West Cork, and the Dowtcha Puppets float is based on a futuristic community as imagined by a group of young Cork people.

Ciarán McMahon, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland, said they were delighted to partner, in their centenary year, with the council for the event.

“The parade is always a great celebration in the city and is the ideal opportunity for us to mark the 100th anniversary of Henry Ford’s return to his ancestral home-city to establish the company’s first purpose-built factory outside of North America in April 1917,” he said.

“In preparation for the parade, we have partnered with Dowtcha who work from premises that are located on the old Ford factory site on the Marina.

“The Dowtcha team will bring a lot of colour and excitement to Ford’s participation in the parade and we are all really looking forward to a memorable spectacle.”

Lord Mayor Des Cahill said: “The parade will celebrate the strength of community, diversity of culture, and entrepreneurship that has helped shape Cork into a modern vibrant city.”

“The parade will be a showcase of the people and communities that make Cork so special and I would like to thank our sponsors, Cork Airport and our media sponsors RedFM and the Evening Echo for their support.”

The parade begins at 1pm and will follow the usual route, starting on the South Mall, running along Grand Parade and St Patrick’s St, to Merchant’s Quay.