AS THE St Patrick’s Bank Holiday Weekend begins, a whole host of events have been announced to cater for all the family.
The Limerick St Patrick’s Festival kicks off on Saturday, March 16, with music and dance filling the streets of the Treaty City.
Bedford Row will see acrobats, stilt walkers, jugglers, and circus acts to entertain adults and children alike.
On Thomas Street, the ‘Green Stage’ will be back with local artists filling the street with the sound of music.
The highlight will undoubtably take place on Sunday, March 17, when the Limerick St Patrick’s Day parade will erupt with ‘a different kind of energy’, the theme of this year’s parade.
The parade will get underway from 12pm and will see visual artists Buí Bolg join Lumen Street Theatre, Limerick Youth Dance Company, and hundreds of other local participants take to the city streets. BT Young Scientist winner Seán O’Sullivan will be the parade’s Grand Marshal.
The Hit Machine Drummers will warm the crowds up before the parade starts, and will also provide some post-parade entertainment.
Other towns and villages across Limerick will also host parades, with Abbeyfeale (4pm), Adare (3pm), Askeaton (2.30pm), Ballylanders (3pm), Bruff (2.30pm), Castleconnell (12pm), Kilfinane (2pm), Kilmallock (12.30pm), Mountcollins (12.30pm), Castlemahon (3pm), Broadford (12pm), and Rathkeale (12.30pm) all having St Patrick’s Day parades on March 17.
Newcastle West will get a head start on the festivities, holding its parade a day earlier at 3pm on March 16.
All information, including starting locations, can be found on Limerick.ie.
On Monday, the 52nd International Band Championship will bring a cacophony of colour and music to Limerick City, with 1,800 marching band members taking part in this year’s spectacle, which gets underway at 12pm.
A free exhibition charting the life of St Patrick is open at the Limerick Museum from March 14 to 30, exploring how Limerick used to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in times gone by.
A choral concert will take place in St Mary’s Cathedral on March 16, with the Schola Cantorum choir from the University of Richmond in Virginia teaming up with County Limerick Youth Choir.
Numerous road closures and parking prohibitions will be in affect throughout the Limerick St Patrick’s Festival, with most roads around the parade route closed on March 17 and 18.
A full list of road closures and parking can be found on Limerick City and County Council’s website and the full schedule of all the events taking place as part of the festival can be found on Limerick.ie.
