This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Drogheda is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most exciting ever thanks to months of hard work by a dedicated committee.
Almost 50 entries have already been confirmed and enquiries are still coming in from community organisations and local businesses.
For many people the highlight of the Patrick’s parade are the bands that take part each year and they will not be disappointed on that score with the town’s two brass bands already signed up and also a pipe band from Northern Ireland.
For music of an entirely different nature Kieran Gallagher and his friends in the Absurdist Pipe Band will be bringing their unique form of entertainment to the streets of Drogheda.
At the reviewing stand the music will be as Irish as it gets when the joyful sound of the Uilleann Pipes, played by the very talented local man Darragh Ó Héiligh, will sound out along West Street.
Many local community groups including girl guides and boy scouts, sports clubs of all codes and all age groups will also be taking part and they will be joined once again by the Drogheda Daffodil Day Committee (Don’t forget Daffodil Day is on March 25th!).
This year for the first time the local Ukrainian and Romanian communities will also be taking part. Also taking part for the first time this year will be the Drogheda LGBTQ Support Group.
Not only is this the first parade for two years it is also the first time in decades that it will be travelling across the centre of town including West Street.
This may not sound like a big deal, but the logistics are huge and involve many different agencies working away in the background to ensure that the parade runs smoothly and that in the event of any emergencies the relevant service is easily accessible.
If you’re going into town to see the parade the message is to leave your car at home or else park well away from the centre and walk in.
That’s because William Street, King Street, Palace Street and Laurence Street will be closed to all vehicular traffic with the exception essential services and parade entrants from 10.00 am. All parked vehicles must also be removed by then.
Similarly, West Street, Peter Street Shop Street, Duke Street Stockwell Street Dominic Street, Wellington Quay, Dyer Street, North Quay, Constitution Hill, North Strand and the Backlanes will all be closed to vehicular traffic except for essential services from 11.30 am.
All streets will reopen as quickly as possible following the parade.
Drogheda Festival’s Committee have extended their heartfelt thanks to the Order of Malta and St. John’s Ambulance who will be acting as first responders in case they are needed on the day and also to Captain Martin Donnelly of Drogheda Port and Drogheda River Rescue to ensure that the parade can pass along the river safely.
“For Health and Safety reasons Scotch Hall’s DeLacy Bridge will remained closed for the duration of the parade and Peter Dolan must be thanked for this. Louth County Council will ensure that the parade route is looking fantastic for the occasion” said Committee spokesperson Eoghan Darcy.
“The assistance of Louth County Council and the local Garda Síochána, in particular Superintendent Andrew Watters, Sgt. Michael Parry Jones, Garda Lauren Mulholland and Garda Amy Sullivan, has been essential for making the new route happen” Eoghan said.
“Last, but by no means least, the committee are indebted to Louth Volunteers for providing many of the stewards for the day. Without this commitment by people voluntarily giving their time to help with the parade it would be impossible to run a successful event.”
