St Patrick's Parade Archives

TraleeToday.ie’s coverage of the Tralee St Patrick’s Day Parade will be brought to you by AIB Tralee…

Thousands of people will be in the town centre tomorrow for the annual St Patrick’s day parade. Here’s some things to note about the day…

1. Be prepared for the elements…

While the participants march past all decked out in green, make sure you’re not a hospital-bothering shade of blue. The forecast ain’t great so wrap up well and wear rainproof clothing. You may be outside for quite a while!

2. Know the route…

Don’t bother going to Denny Street to get a good view. The parade will start at 11.45am from John Joe Sheehy Road. It will travel along Boherbee, onto Castle Street, down the Mall and finish in The Square (via Carraig Donn). Spectators are advised not to line the streets beyond Carraig Donn because you’ll miss it!

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3. Get there on time…

This especially applies if you have small ones with you. They’ll want to get a good view of the action so make sure they’re at the front. Otherwise your six year old will be a weight upon your shoulders for over an hour.

4. Enjoy the music…

Three well-known musicians will perform on the viewing platform before the parade arrives. Up-and-coming singer/songwriter, Seamus Harty will be joined in the line-up by Lauryn Griffin who won the Tralee October Busking Competition and St Patrick’s Day stalwart Michael Gaffney to entertain the crowd.

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5. Show your support…

While you may feel as old as St Patrick by the time it finishes, it’s important to disguise the weariness by clapping to show your appreciation for the participants right to the end.

The parade is, after all, an annual celebration of the local community and they’ve put a lot of effort into it.

6. Leave the town as you found it…

This should go without saying, but in previous years the streets have looked a shambles hours after the parade, especially the Square area. The bins might fill up quickly, but make every effort to keep the place tidy on a day when national pride of place is celebrated.

St Patrick (Jimmy Diggins) with Ryan Kelliher who led the parade. Photo by Dermot Crean

AS is the custom, the St Patrick’s celebrations started early at Scoil Eoin Balloonagh as the whole school came out in the yard for their annual parade on Friday.

St Patrick (Jimmy Diggins) led the procession with eight year old Ryan Kelliher, a pupil at the school, who has Muscular Dystrophy. Ryan will take centre stage in town on Sunday when he will be the Junior Grand Marshal at this year’s Tralee St Patrick’s Parade.

Special guests were the Mercy Mounthawk Under 15A boys basketball team who won the All-Ireland title last month.

The pupils made a great effort to dress in green and many parents also turned up for the fun. Manus Leane provided the music and there was a mass céilí to round off a great day. Scroll down for photos…