Festival fun to raise Irish spirits
IRELAND will come alive with pageantry, carnivals and free entertainment, not to mention alcohol-fuelled bonhomie, during a weekend of celebrations to mark St Patrick’s Day.
In Dublin, some business premises will turn green; in Cork, there will be a strong sporting focus with the Olympic Games in mind; and, in Limerick, the national feast day will be toasted as a global phenomenon.
In Galway, seven of the 17 off-licence premises will remain closed until at least 2pm to help prevent drunkenness, which has created problems in recent years, while, in Waterford, the history of the city will be showcased.
The annual parade will be the highlight of the four-day Dublin festival, which will have an estimated audience of 1m on the streets and on TV. According to festival chief executive Susan Kirby, it will be “one of the largest artistic presentations of its kind”.
Leading pageant companies will animate a selection of science questions posed by children, covering subjects such as weather changes and the generation of electricity, and each will present imaginative and colourful creations in the Dublin parade.
The parade organisers are collaborating with Dublin City of Science 2012.
St Patrick’s Festival returns to Cork for a three-day run, featuring a potpourri of live music, traditional Irish dance, street performance, comedy, artisan food markets, free family fun and a spectacular parade.
Parade grand marshals will be the Cork senior camogie and senior ladies’ football teams, reigning All-Ireland and National League champions who won 11 All-Irelands in the past decade.
The spotlight will also be on food and Barry’s Tea Market will offer tasty, artisan treats and a flavour of Cork’s renowned food culture in the heart of the city. The market will be open daily during the festival from 10am until 6pm.
On Saturday, the market will be on Grand Parade and Boardwalk, South Mall, while on Sunday and Monday, it will be located on St Patrick’s Street. The Living Social Music Stage will provide free entertainment daily.
The parade starts at 1pm on South Mall, proceeding through Grand Parade and St Patrick’s Street and ending at Merchant’s Quay.
In Limerick, more than 3,500 people are expected to take part in the parade, on O’Connell Street, starting at noon. The World in Union is the theme. Limerick’s community, its ethnicity, diversity and St Patrick’s Day as a global phenomenon will be honoured. Dr Ed Walsh, founding president of the University of Limerick, will be the grand marshal.
The three-day Limerick festival also includes the 42nd International Band Championship in which bands from all over Ireland, the US and Europe will compete to be crowned champion.
In Galway, the parade starts at 11.30am. Over 60 bands, a Massachusetts police band, artists, dance groups and community groups, will take part.
More than 50 floats, voluntary groups and bands will take part in the Waterford parade, which will tell the story of how the city remained untaken throughout history, also the theme of this year’s parade.
Fadó heritage group will have a couple of surprises and, after the parade, there will be live music with local bands The Jam Tarts and Chimpanzee and a traditional band in John Robert’s Square.
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