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Shamrocks at the ready — here’s where to find the best St Patrick’s Day parades across Ireland

WE might be a small nation but our celebrations are mighty, especially those to mark the feast day of our Patron Saint. If there’s one thing the Irish do properly, that’s throw a party. Come St Patrick’s Day the whole world wants a piece of the action, with everyone trying to lay claim to an Irish great granny. Famous landmarks turn green for the day, and parades take place all over the world. But forget New York — if you’re serious about the wearing of the green, then Ireland really is the only place to be on March 17. Here’s our country-wide guide so you can join in the craic, no matter where you live.

MAYO

ON ACHILL Island there’s a long standing tradition of pipe bands and each year, these join the colourful and compelling spectacle of the St Patrick’s Day parade. The bands have been marching since 1882 and the music kicks off at 8am, making this one of the longest parades in Ireland. There’s a break for Mass before all bands perform again and then march back to their respective villages.Visitors can make the most of their day by following the marching bands, stopping for refreshments along the way and taking some time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the island. In the evening, traditional and modern entertainment is provided in many local hotels and pubs.

Castlebar has revamped its parade this year and crowds are promised a more colourful spec tacle than ever before. The fun kicks off with a concert in Market Square from midday, with the main parade starting at 2pm from McHale Road. Musicians, dancers, street entertainers and magicians will add sparkle to the event, with face-painting and bouncy castles also promised.

WESTMEATH ATHLONE’S

St. Patrick’s Day paradeleaves Golden Island at 2.30pm but there’s plenty more too. Bring the little ones to the magic show at Civic Square at 3.15pm and bouncy castles will also be in operation there from 2pm. The best news is the entertainment is all free.

KILDARE

THE parade in Athy will start from the Kilkenny Road and travel along William Street, Duke Street and Leinster Street from 11am. The Maynooth parade will begin at 11am. from Greenfield Shopping Centre, Straffan Road. Over 50 floats, acts and marching bands will kick off the action at 12 noon in Newbridge. There will also be music from 11am at the Town Hall.

ANTRIM

BELFAST will be buzzing as the St Patrick’s Day parade gets a latin feel thanks to the organisers Beat Carnival.The city will be full of colour and excitement as the parade leaves Belfast City Hall at midday and will make its way down to Custom House Square. Community Groups will be taking part in this year’s parade along with professional and amateur performers, musicians and dancers.

CO. ROSCOMMON

STAR spotting could be in order as Boyle, the home of Moone Boy and Chris O’Dowd, as this year’s parade kicks off at 2.30pm. The parade will embrace some of the newer residetnts of Ireland with some Brazilian samba dancers lining out alongside the floats and an Irish Army colour party. There will be other entertainment for all the family in nearby

Rathallen starting at 4pm including a Vintage and Classic Car Show, children’s entertainment and live music with Andy Feery.

WICKLOW

THE SEASIDE town of Bray is the place to be for entertainment for all the family. The parade starts at 3pm and there’s plenty to see and do including the Euroshow fun fair, a cultural concert, a guided Bray Head Walk, live music and a family fun day in the town centre. There’s even an early morning crash course in Irish dancing if you need to brush up your skills. The Wicklow Town parade will start at 3.15pm from Whitegates, led by a colour party from the Irish United Nations Veterans’ Association.

DONEGAL

THIS year the Buncrana parade starts at 3pm from Pearse Road and will travel via Port Road, through Main Street past the viewing platform at Market Square to finish in Old Town. Letterkenny is due to hold the biggest parade in Donegal this year with lots or colour and fun for all the family. It will take place from 3pm, starting at the Station Roundabout and road closures will be in place from 1pm to 5.30pm. The Moville St. Parade starts at 2:30pm but as well as the floats and bands, there will be live music in teh square from 1pm onwards, featuring Patricia Ferns, David Craig and much more. Bouncy castles and children’s entertainment will take place in the Square until 5pm.

CARLOW

THE CARLOW parade will kick off at 3.30pm from Burren Street with rousing tunes from the Carlow Pipe Band, the Killeshin Pipe Band and the Presentation School Band making some glorious noise along the way.

LEITRIM

THIS year’s Carrick-on-Shannon starts at 12.45pm and will consist of colourful and eye catching floats from local businesses, groups, schools and sporting organisations. The craic will be mighty as everyone is invited to take part and join in the fun.

MONAGHAN

IN CARRICKMACROSS, St. Patrick’s morning begins with a 5K family fun run at 10.30am starting and finishing in the Phoenix centre The parade starts at 3pm at the junction of the Donaghmoyne and Dundalk Roads. Seven marching bands, local schools, organisations and businesses have promised to bring lots of music and colour to town. At 11.15am the flag will be raised at the courthouse accompanied by music from the Stedfast Shoes Brass Band and the Comhaltas will perform at the reviewing stand starting at 2.15pm. There will be plenty of lively music, colour and festive fun including a fun fair and bouncy castles.

The theme for this year’s Monaghan Parade is ‘Inclusion – A Monaghan for Everyone.’ The parade will start at 3pm and promises plenty of entertainment for young and old.

CAVAN

CAVAN TOWN has two very special guests leading its parade this year. The fun will commence at 12.30pm under the watchful eyes of the Tully Twins from TV3’s Gogglebox Ireland. Between 70 and 80 floats will make up the parade. Rumour has it St Patrick himself will also be dropping by in the hope of meeting the now-famous brothers. There will be musicians on the streets all day including traditional bands. Across the county, 14 parades will be taking place, with some fairies taking centre stage in Cootehill from 3pm.

GALWAY

THIS year Galway marks its 114th St Patrick’s Day Parade. And organisers say they aim to highlight the city’s commitment to the environment, taking in everything from nature to recycling as themes. The parade will feature local community groups, artists and performers. Galway Arts Centre, GAA clubs, Amnesty International, An Taibhdhearc and The Russian Culture Club are just some of the fantastic groups taking part in the celebrations. The parade will begin at 11.30am and this year’s guest of honour will be Galway’s extreme adventurer Gavan Hennigan. There are a number of smaller parades across the county, including events in Oughterard from 1pm and Clifden which kicks off its parade at 12.30pm. There will be entertainment for all the family on the Town Square before and after the parade.

CORK

JOIN the celebrations in Cork as the city comes to life for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Sample tasty treats at the pop up festival market, listen to some traditional Irish music at the Lee Sessions, take a tour, see an exhibition or go to a show. There is plenty to choose from this festival weekend. The

streets of Cork will come alive with colour as the main parade kicks off at 1pm. The theme for this year is ‘A City Of Community, Culture and Commerce.’ A very famous face will have the honour of leading the parade as celebrity chef Rachel Allen takes a break from dishing up to take poll position in a Ford Model T. Among the highlights of the biggest parade for the Rebel County will be ten vintage vehicles incling a Mustang, a ‘trash percussion’ float and a fabulous display from performance group Macnas who will be presenting their three metre-high ‘Boy Explorer’ as part of the event. Watch him chase a wonderful butterfly through the streets.

Meanwhile Cobh’s parade is all about the positive as the theme for this year is ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.’ In keeping with the theme, the parade promises to be bright and colorful with lots of fun floats. It beings at 3.30pm and starts from the Low Road beside Cobh Heritage Centre.

DERRY

DERRY is known for its spectacular Halloween Carnival, so certainly knows how to put on a smashing parade. The theme for St Patrick’s Day is ‘Forever Young’ which will embrace youthfulness in mind and spirit, kicking off from Queen’s Quay at 2pm. Niamh and Oisin will be travelling to Tir Na nOg as they journey through the city centre. Relax and enjoy the marching pipe bands, Irish dancing displays, floats and lots of family fun throughout the day in Guildhall Square.

DOWN

DOWNPATRICK has special links to our patron saint as it is thought to be the place where St Patrick is buried. The traditional Cross-Community Carnival Parade is at the very heart of the town’s celebrations and is an excuse for everyone to take to the streets and engage in all the family fun on offer, while celebrating a very important day for the town. As well as the main parade there will be plenty on across the weekend as part of the Home Of St Patrick festival.

LOUTH

THE THEME of this year’s parade in Drogheda is ‘Laurence Gate Goes Green’ and organisers hope to see a sea of green on the streets to celebrate the heritage and history that the town holds. The parade starts at 12pm at the North Quay and is sure to hold lots of family. Dundalk’s parade is centred round a theme of ‘Team Dundalk, Together everyone achieves more’. Special guest for the parade anmd leading the charge will be Eve McCrystal, a gold and silver Paralympic medallist who will be at the fore for the 1pm starting time. There will also be events on offer throughout the day for young and old alike, with a family fun area at the market Square until 6pm, complete with Disney characters.

DUBLIN

ANOTHER Olympian has pride of place in Dublin’s St Patrick’s Day Parade. Silver medallist and sailor extraordinaire Annalise Murphy, will be the Grand Marshall for the biggest parade in the country, starting things off from Parnell Square at midday. The theme for this year’s parade is ‘Ireland You Are…’ and so weaving through the heart of the capital city in a flourish of colour and flair will be bands from home and abroad. Special visitors will include music ensembles from around the world, including France, Germany, the Bahamas, Switzerland and the USA. Moer than half a million people are expected to take to the streets of Dublin to witness the spectacle.

If you can’t cope with the hustle and bustle of the capital, then why not check out some of the smaller parades taking place across the county? The parade in Swords begins at 11am while the seaside town of Skerries has a 3pm kick off.

CLARE

‘A MULTICULTURAL Town’ is this year’s theme for the parade in Ennis. The biggest parade in the county of Clare, the procession will celebrate the rich and diverse culture, pride, talent and creativity that the Ennis community has to offer. The parade will begin at 11am from Clare Co Council.

KILKENNY

JOIN the Kilkenny community in the celebrations of St Patrick’s Day to pay tribute to literary legend Jonathan Swift who wrote Gulliver’s Travels and other famous texts. This year the Buí Bolg Performing Arts Group will be a highlight of the parade for cool cats, kicking off at 1pm.As well as the parade, the fifth Kilkenny Tradfest will take over the city for the whole weekend, offering craic agus ceol in abundance. There will be an amazing mix of live music performances, music and dance workshops, family activities and much more.

KERRY

SPORTING heroes will take centre stage in Tralee as the theme for today’s parade is ‘A Celebration of Tralee Sport.’ The parade will start at 12pm and will feature the best of sporting talent from around the town. Clubs, dancers, sports teams, businesses, schools and pipe bands will be taking part so there’s plenty of fun to be had. Get out there and give your favourite team a cheer as they march past.

WEXFORD

THERE’s an early kick-off for the Wexford St.Patrick’s Day Parade which will start at 11am from thejunction of Fisher’s Rowe and Wiliiam’s Street. There will over 130 floats, performers, community groups and marching bands this year. It’s bound to be a great day with plenty of exciting activities and traditional and modern entertainment for all ages.

WATERFORD

THE WATERFORD St. Patrick’s Day Parade will get underway at 1pm on The Quay and The Mall. This year is going to be Waterford’s biggest and best parade yet. It’ll be a jam-packed day with entertainment for the whole family. In 1903 Waterford was the first place to declare St. Patrick’s Day a general holiday — plenty of reason to go down and celebrate your day off.

OFFALY

TULLAMORE is a place renowned for its pipers so expect a lot of quality music from this parade. The first notes will sound at around 11.30am with over 10,000 expected on the streets along the route. There will be musical acts taking part as well as sports clubs, schools, drama clubs, youth clubs, community groups and many different performers. The route will go through High St, Bridge St, Colmcille St, over the Kilbeggan Bridge and finishing on Arden Road.

TIPPERARY

THE THURLES parade will begin at 4pm in Liberty Square. The starting point for the parade is from LIDL car park, Abbey Road Thurles. There will be some amazing surprise performers in this year’s parade as well as plenty of local community clubs, groups and organisations. Activities on the day includea vintage vehicles exhibition, a climbing wall, a miniature train for both children and adults as well as a live reptile zoo. There will be live musical entertainment from the local silver band in the Townspark bandstand and traditional music by the Jim O’ the Mills Group in the centre of Liberty Square.

TYRONE

THE parade in Strabane will start at 2pm from St. Mary’s Church at Melmount Road. There will also be a Main Stage featuring tunes from some very talented local artists. The Omagh parade will begin at 2pm at Omagh Leisure Complex and finish at James Street. Schools, bands, clubs, community groups and businesses will be taking part in this year’s celebrations. After the parade Irish folk group, The Whistlin’ Donkeys will be providing musical entertainment. There will be plenty going on in the town throughout the day. The Tyrone Design Guild Craft Fair will also take place between 12 noon and 5pm and the Melody Flute Band, Comhaltas musicians and St. Eugene’s Band will be performing in the main auditorium of the Strule Arts Centre.

SLIGO

THE SLIGO Town Parade will begin at 12pm on Mail Coach Road and will finish at the Mercy Convent Gates. It’s a jam-packed day not to be missed with music, mayhem and a sea of green being promised by organisers.

LAOIS

THE PORTLAOISE parade will get underway at 12.30pm straight after the Portlaoise Athletic Club’s street race which starts at 11.30am. The parade will start at County Hall heading towards Supermac’s. It is hoped that the whole community will come out in support of the event. There will also be parades in a number of other towns across the county including Mountmellick [2pm] and Portarlington [3.30pm]

LONGFORD

LONGFORD’S parade gets underway at 1pm with Siege of Jadotville veteran Michael Tighe taking up the position of Grand Marshall. Dancing and music will be the order of the day.