Watch: Cork gears up for St Patrick's Day parade

After two years without a St Patrick’s Day parade, groups and organisations around Cork are gearing up for one to remember.

The theme for this year’s parade is ‘Everyday heroes in extraordinary times’.

On Thursday, the Barrack Street Band are among those who will make the return to the streets of Cork. The band was founded in 1837.

Billy O'Callaghan told The Echo that the band have been practicing hard and rehearsing in the lead-up to the day, having not had much of a chance to in recent years.

“As a musical group, we were locked down and like society was locked down. But now things are back to normal,” he said.

“It's fantastic to be back in taking part in the Parade again, and all the members are really looking forward to it.” 

A Cork-based puppeteer is also among those preparing for the big day.

Elisa Gallo Rosso is an Italian artist who lives in Cork and is the director of Cork Puppetry. Cork City Council asked her to work on two parades for St Patrick's Day.

“We've been asked to work on the theme of heroes because each of us has been a hero during the pandemic.

“I thought that we should just embrace even more what happened, so, we're creating giant puppets of the lockdown,” she said.

She has also decided to represent the Ukrainian flag in her artwork. Cork-based artist Serge Vanderberghe is helping her on the project.

Ms Rosso moved to Cork in 2016 and started her company with European funding for entrepreneurs.

She has collaborated with different companies and artists. She also had to move studio a number of times which caused some instability for her business. But, despite this, she says she is lucky having gotten support from organisations such as Cork City Council.

Meanwhile, Cork Community Art Link have said they are thrilled to present a spectacular display of craftsmanship, street arts and performance this Patrick’s Day.

“We'll be marching a huge articulated granny and a mechanised, piloted biplane and much more down the streets of Cork,” they said.

The performance has been inspired and informed by Cork City Council's 'everyday heroes' theme for the parade.

“The concept of creating a giant float of an elderly woman is based on the idea of taking the great matriarchal grandmother as our hero. She is a woman who has survived the many challenges and difficulties life has thrown at her with a strong sense of humour and a tough outer shell.

“The biplane represents the freedom and travel that have been denied to us for the past couple of years with Covid. Taking the plane out onto the streets and operating it is a sign of renewal and moving forward, bringing forth possibilities and much-needed glimpses of more joyous and adventurous days ahead.” 

Many other groups are set to participate, performing in and around the Cork Community Art Link floats, such as Aisling Community Access Programme Blackpool, Cope Foundation, YMCA, National Learning Network (Skills for Life and Directions), Cork City Firebirds as well as students from UCC Department of Theatre.

“Nothing would be possible without our wonderful volunteers who have been helping us in our workshops at the Lido, Blackpool and our warehouse workshop in Dublin Hill,” they added.

This year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade takes place in Cork city on Thursday, March 17 at 1pm.