Patrick's Day parade has kicked off in Cork City centre
Anessa Moore, Jade Douglas, Olivia Wrobel and Lily Ngo of the Texas McKinney High School Royal Pride Band at the parade in Cork city. Picture: Chani Anderson.
The St Patrick’s Day parade has kicked off in Cork from Parnell Place. Gardaí expect as many as 60,000 people have gathered in the city centre for the event.
So far, the rain, which had threatened earlier, has held off, and the blustery gusts of this morning have settled down, hopefully meaning nobody needs to employ the age-old phrase “failed to dampen spirits”.
On Union Quay, hundreds of people are massed beneath various banners and flags, and the noise is deafening as cheers and whistles are heard as they await the parade to come around.
This year’s grand marshals are 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 is that Cork has never seen cuter or fluffier grand marshals, and that’s not to mention their furry friends.
Leading the parade on motorcycles are 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 are taking part in the parade, which will welcome 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, have brought large floats to the parade all which pay tribute to the festival theme ‘Marsh, Myth and Magic’.
Organisers have provided an accessible area for parade viewers who require these facilities, wheelchair users, people who are elderly or infirm, as well as autistic and neurodiverse people who need more space around them. This space outside Dunnes Stores does not require registration but is restricted to one accompanying support person.
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