City prepares for a St Patrick’s Day festival of fun

PROFESSIONAL pageant grants and a massive community involvement will add a dimension to next month’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Cork, organisers promised last night.

The parade will kick off a three-day St Patrick’s Festival, which is expected to attract thousands of visitors, boosting the local economy by up to e30 million.

Details of this year’s expanded event, backed by Blackpool Developments, were unveiled last night.