Watch: Cork City's St Patrick's Day parade celebrates 'A Century of Stories'

Dancers from Joan Denise Moriarty School of Dance perform in the St Patrick's Day Parade at Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins

Thousands flocked to Cork City on Friday as the rain failed to prevented people from enjoying the 2023 St Patrick's Day parade.

The parade can be watched below - click here if the video does not appear for you. 

The theme for the 2023 parade is 'A Century of Stories', reflecting the the last phase of the 'Decade of Centenaries' programme. 

The last few years has seen a number of centenaries including the Irish Civil War, War of Independence and Easter Rising. 

The grand marshal for the Cork parade was the Sanctuary Runners, who promised to bring “positive vibes and energy” to the celebrations. 

Sanctuary Runners, which was established in Cork five years ago, uses running and swimming to bring the local community together with migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in a spirit of solidarity, friendship and respect.

Sanctuary Runners chief executive Graham Clifford said they were honoured.

“Cork is a huge part of us, and we of Cork so to get this recognition is just amazing. We believe in positive energy and we'll be bringing that to the streets of Cork on St Patrick's Day."

Organisers have promised a feast of colour and pageantry with more than 3,500 participants in 55 groups taking part under the theme 'A Century of Stories', with representatives of international communities, sporting, voluntary, community groups and dance schools.

It comes as the country's earliest parade took place in Co Kerry this morning. 

Back in Dingle, the annual St Patrick's Day parade got underway at 6am, with Dingle Fife and Drum Band leading the march. Playing a number of traditional songs, the 40-man band followed the traditional route around the West Kerry town.

The march dates back to the 1880s when eviction rallies were being held to support tenants who had been thrown out of their land and homes.

“Those rallies happened early in the morning - that’s the first record of the Fife and Drum bands we have – early in the morning," band member Tom Lynch told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

The Dingle Fife and drum band played on the streets for the earliest parade in Ireland. Picture: Domnick Walsh

In 1914, the British army who were in charge of the town at the time, placed a ban on celebrations of St. Patrick's Day between dawn and dusk, which the residents found a way around, by marching "prior to dawn".

“So they went out before 6 o’clock and we have continued doing that since so it’s a tradition going back well over 100 years and it’s a lovely, lovely morning.”

The early morning march is met with "great local participation" year in year out, followed by a St Patrick's Day mass organised by the local parish priests.

Meanwhile, in the capital, up to half a million people are expected in Dublin City centre for the parade.

Dublin parade will involve 4,200 performers including marching bands, aerial acrobats and vibrant costumes.

The parade is centred around the theme of “ONE” to “shine a light on all the goodness that surrounds us” by protecting and embracing global traditions, culture and heritage.