By Andy Spearman
For many of the younger people present at today’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Drogheda it was their first ever. For the rest of us it was certainly the best ever.
The crowd seemed to have been double the size of previous years and everyone was in good mood.
Long before the parade started there was a steady stream of people dressed in green walking along all the roads into town where there was sea of green as thousands of smiling people of all ages turned out to wave and cheer.
And there was plenty to cheer about after two years with no parade on our patron Saint’s Day.
The weather was kind to us and that always makes a big difference – memories of Paddy’s Day parades in the rain and the bitterly cold, even snow one year, will probably never be erased from the memory.
This year’s parade had it all – music and dance, a cast of thousands of kids from the various youth organisations and sports clubs, and the enthusiastic reception they received along the way was infectious.
It was great to get out and meet people in an outdoor setting and we met people from many countries who are now living in our cosmopolitan town. It was great to hear so many different accents.
There were many people from Ukraine – some taking part and others cheering them on as they marched in support of their friends of families back home who don’t have a lot to celebrate just at the moment.
The new route for the parade, one of the most important and popular community events if the year, meant that the iconic St. Laurence’s Gate featured as the backdrop to proceedings at the start and then to turn around and see West Street packed to the gills was actually quite an emotional moment.
Everyone had their favourite moments – mine was when a little footballer player, aged about eight or so, was marching and singing along all manly with his team mates from St. Colmcilles GFC one minute and the next he saw his granny in the crowd and his face lit up in a big beaming smile.
After a moment’s hesitation he couldn’t resist the urge to shout out “Hiya Granny!” She had no qualms about shouting “Hiya ….” We won’t mention his name. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with loving your granny and showing but such public displays of affection could ruin a young guy’s street cred!
An hour after the parade finished the rain started but that was okay, everyone was either back home, inside a coffee shop or in a bar. Which reminds me, gotta go….
There are plenty more pictures on the Drogheda Life Facebook Page (and if you haven’t done so already you might “follow” or “like” it) – just click here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4891337297661292&type=3
