Revealed: Here's who the Grand Marshal is for Cork's St Patrick's Day Parade

Members of iconic Cork Band The Frank and Walters in Fitzgerald Park with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy at the launch of the Cork St Patrick’s Festival. Picture: Clare Keogh

Iconic Leeside band The Frank and Walters have been announced as the Grand Marshal for Cork's St Patrick's Day Parade.

The group will lead off the festivities as part of the St Patrick's Festival from March 15 to March 18 as Cork celebrates its music, culture and tradition in style.

Founded in Cork in the early 1990s, The Frank and Walters have achieved huge success with their songs charting both in Ireland and abroad. 

Their hit After All has become something of an anthem on Leeside, while the band was named Cork Persons of the Year last month. 

Lord Mayor of Cork Kieran McCarthy said he was delighted with the choice of The Frank and Walters as Grand Marshal. 

"The theme of this year’s parade is Pure Imagination and I invite those participating to explore the magic, wonder, colours and the world of dreams of Cork, all in a sense of togetherness.

Our parade will be a celebration of life in Cork and our city of welcomes, with our traditional sporting and dance groups alongside new communities that have made our city their home.

The Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on March 17 at 1pm, on the familiar route from South Mall to Merchants Quay. 

It will include more than 3,000 participants and performance showpieces from professional art groups Cork Puppetry Company and Spraoi. Marching bands and groups from across Ireland as well as America, Britain and Germany will also take part. 

The Knights of Columbus Pipes and Drums Group will, for the third time, be repeating their amazing transatlantic double — marching in the New York Parade on March 16 before flying in to take part in the Cork Parade on St Patrick’s Day.

This year's festival will see a new specially programmed range of events taking place over the course of the four days. 

Songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Paul Noonan — who is best known as the frontman of the Irish group Bell X1 — will perform at Triskel Arts Centre on Friday March 15, with up-and-coming group Kingfishr appearing there on March 16.

A free Céilí Mór, organised by Cork Folk Festival, will also take place from 3pm to 6pm in City Hall on March 16. Acclaimed musicians from the Cork Trad Trio will perform traditional Irish music as dancers are guided with the help of experienced dancers on the floor, with organisers saying there is no experience necessary.

The full programme of events is on corkstpatricksfestival.ie. Some events do require pre-booking but the council says most are free.