US group who spent March 17 2020 confined to hotel thrilled to be returning for Cork town's parade 

Organisers of this year’s Macroom St Patrick’s Day Festival are looking forward to this year’s festivities, including the return of an American group whose last visit was derailed by the Covid pandemic.

The Philadelphian Woodland String Band will return to the Cork town for the first time since 2020, when the pandemic put an abrupt halt to their plans after arriving in Ireland.

A group of 169 people from Philadelphia took off from the US in March 2020, but everything changed as they were halfway across the Atlantic. The country went into lockdown and they were confined to the Castle Hotel in Macroom for a full week before they were able to board a flight again to return back to the US.

“We look forward to welcoming our guests from Philadelphia, after a long three years without the usual festivities," Rory Buckley of The Castle Hotel, said. 

"The Woodland String Band has been coming to Macroom since I was a child, and it is great to get back to normal this year as we welcome them for our 2023 St Patrick’s Day Festival.” 

It will also be the town’s first parade since the opening of the new N22 bypass in December, with organisers promising a parade to remember.

“The Macroom St Patrick’s Day Festival is something we very much look forward to each year," Councillor Ted Lucey, said. "Not only does it bring the local community together, but we also welcome a large community from Philadelphia each year to join us in our celebrations, many of which have strong links to Macroom.

“Along with the Woodland String Band, there will be everything from steam engines to vintage cars, floats, dancing groups and much more. We look forward to welcoming everyone to join the celebrations.” 

 Tom Loomis of The Woodland String Band said: “Back in September 1999, our band was invited to Macroom to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in 2000 to which I immediately said yes! We organised for 69 people to make that first trip and ever since, it has been a dream come true for many of us. The friendships we have made and the folks in Macroom, who are now like family, make us look forward to each trip over the Atlantic.

”This will be the 20th trip for my wife, Mary, and I. To see how the St Patrick's week festivities have grown in Macroom and the effort that the folks there put in for our visits is humbling. 

"To myself and Mary, this trip means family, friendship and love. Macroom is truly the place of Céad Míle Fáilte’ - when we step off that bus on March 11, it will feel like we never left.” 

 Macroom’s St Patrick’s Day Parade will commence at 3.30pm on March 17 from St. Colman’s Park. For further information on Macroom and this year’s St.Patrick’s Day celebrations, visit macroom.ie.