Six St Patrick’s Day Parades to take place across Fingal
Six parades will take place across Fingal this St Patrick’s Day. Each will include a variety of floats from across the county as well as pipe bands, dance troupes, community groups and The North Dakota State University Gold Star Marching Band visiting from the US.
There will also be street performers across the six locations (Balbriggan, Swords, Blanchardstown, Rush, Lusk and Skerries). The Dublin Bay Prawn Festival will also take place this St Patrick’s Day in Howth.
Commenting on the upcoming celebrations, Chief Executive Paul Reid said: “St Patrick’s Day is a fantastic opportunity for the residents and community groups in Fingal to celebrate their heritage and culture as well as enjoying the festivities. Every year I am extremely impressed by the efforts of local community groups, residents and the Fingal County Council Events Team who contribute so much to the parades and celebrations that take place across the county.”
The Swords Parade begins at 11 am. The route will go through Swords Main Street before finishing at Swords Castle and will feature the North Dakota American Marching Band who also participated in the Dublin St Patrick’s Day Parade in 2015.
The Rush Parade will start at 1pm and Lusk will follow at 1.30pm.
The Balbriggan Parade kicks off at 2 pm at Lambeecher. The route will go through the main street before ending at St Peter and Paul's Church.
Both the Blachardstown and Skerries parades get underway at 3 pm. The Blanchardstown Parade, also featuring the American marching band, commences in the village and makes its way to the Blanchardstown Centre.
Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Mary McCamley said: “I look forward to seeing the turnout at the St Patrick’s Day parades across Fingal this year. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the volunteers, community groups and events staff for their efforts in preparing the celebrations and decorations across Fingal in the previous months.”
We are expecting a large turnout again this year, and are advising people to check www.facebook.com/EventsinFingal for information on road closures and parking arrangements.
