Dundalk will see the return of the St Patrick’s Day parade tomorrow for the first time in several years. Along with the council, Dundalk Chamber, Dundalk Credit Union, PayPal and many others are sponsoring the event.
Starting at 1pm, the theme this year is ‘Urban Green’ and will feature many local community and business organisations showcasing the very best the town has to offer. There will also be live music, and a family fun zone, after the parade, so that families can spend more time in the town after the main event.
The committee, which is chaired by Cllr. Conor Keelan, had been seeking sponsorship in order to stage the event and the council stepped in with funding to make the parade possible.
The committee organising Dundalk’s St Patrick’s Day Parade; Back row , from left, Maria O’Toole, Dagan Fleming, Shane McBride;front row: Ruairí Ó Murchú TD, Cllr. Conor Keelan, Anne Campbell, Cllr. Maeve Yore; front Kate O’Connor and Amy Broadhurst
Cllr. Keelan, who is on the Dundalk St Patrick’s Day Committee with Cllr. Maeve Yore, Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú, Shane McBride, Dagan Fleming, Anne Campbell and Maria O’Toole, said he was delighted with the council’s response for funding.
He said: “Without the assistance of Louth County Council, the parade would not be possible this year. We are delighted they have come on board and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the town for a great, traditional parade after three years of having no event”.
Cllr. Keelan said it is vital that people who are involved in community and sporting groups, as well as businesses, ‘come together to join in the parade’.
He said: “I hope everyone gets behind us to put Dundalk back on the St Patrick’s Day map again. It has been difficult getting back after Covid 19 and I would like to see as many groups as possible take part in the parade, under the theme of ‘Urban Green”.
RTÉ Television cameras will be in town to capture the event and the grand marshals for 2023 are sports stars Amy Broadhurst and Kate O’Connor who have brought honour to the town in the world of boxing and athletics respectively. For the first time this year there is also an exclusive viewing platform for wheelchair users.
