Dragon parade axed over plans for monster event

Organisers of the hugely successful Dragon of Shandon event last night apologised for temporarily pulling the plug on what is widely regarded as one of the countryâs top Halloween events.
They said it is necessary as they set about turning the annual parade into a sustainable three-day community festival.
âWe are conscious that there will be a lot of disappointed people out there this year,â spokeswoman Aoife Potter-Cogan said.
âBut it was a collective decision to put it on hold this year, and develop a three-day festival for next year.
âWe could have staged the parade this year, but we need to change the structures of the event to ensure itâs sustainable in the long term.
âIf it is to be sustainable, then developing a community festival format is the way to go,â she said.
âThis is a community project with participants and volunteers at its core.
âWe want to give greater ownership of the event to the local community and would love to hear what the people of Cork would like to see in the festival and work together to make it happen.â
The event, facilitated by the arts group Cork Community Art Link, began in 2006.
A 36ft-long fire-breathing dragon, which wound its way down Shandon St on Oct 31, followed by a host of ghosts and ghouls, was the eventâs spectacular centrepiece.
Art Link gets a âŹ28,000 Arts Council grant and a âŹ12,000 grant from Cork City Council which sources say is nowhere near enough to fund one of the cityâs top festivals.
Full details of next yearâs festival will be launched this Halloween weekend.