Patrick's Day parade brings colour and smiles to Cork City centre

The St Patrick’s Day parade kicked off at 1pm in Cork from Parnell Place bringing colour and smiles to the city centre, with the number attending estimated to be up to 60,000 people.

The rain, which had threatened earlier, held off for the event that took over an hour to complete, and the blustery gusts of the morning settled down, meaning nobody needed to employ the age-old phrase “failed to dampen spirits”.

On Union Quay, hundreds of people gathered beneath various banners and flags awaiting the parade's arrival, and the noise was deafening.

This year’s grand marshals were the volunteers and canine stars of Carrigrohane-based national charity Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The general consensus at the starting line was that Cork had never seen cuter or fluffier grand marshals, and that’s not to mention their furry friends.

Leading the parade on motorcycles were 18 volunteers from Blood Bike South, who got around the parade’s prohibition on mechanically propelled vehicles by striking out three minutes before the official start.

From 7pm to 7am weeknights, and 24 hours a day on weekends, Blood Bike volunteers deliver blood, chemo-therapy materials, and breast milk to hospitals all over the country, and they rely entirely on public donations.

The parade began at 1pm at the junction of South Mall and Parnell Place, before making its way along South Mall and Grand Parade, then up Patrick’s Street to finish on Merchant's Quay.

More than 3,600 participants took part in the parade, which welcomed international groups including The McKinney High School Royal Pride Marching Band from Texas, the DC Everest Senior High Marching Band from Wisconsin, and Batala, the international collection of Samba groups from the UK, France, Austria and America.

Local arts organisations Cork Community Art Link and Cork Puppetry Company and national arts organisation Spraoi all brought large floats to the parade to pay tribute to the festival theme ‘Marsh, Myth and Magic’.

Organisers provided an accessible area for parade viewers who required the facilities, wheelchair users, people who are elderly or infirm, as well as autistic and neurodiverse people who needed more space around them. 

The little white horse pulling the Cork City Fire Service's historic hose and cart was one of the most popular participants and stole the show at the 'tail end' of the parade, delighting adults and children alike on the Grand Parade.

The parade was live-streamed on Cork City Council's YouTube page and be watched back now.