Cork City Council Announce St. Patrick's Festival Line Up

Cork City Council has announced their exciting line-up for the annual Cork St. Patrick’s Festival 2016.

The 4 day family event, which runs from 17-20 March, will be visual feast with a kaleidoscope of colour and pageantry in celebration of the National holiday.  It is expected to attract over 80,000 people to the City over the weekend. 

Each day will be bursting with family fun, kicking off with the carnival-like Parade itself on St. Patrick’s Day, which will feature jaw dropping street theatre, pageantry, and up to 3000 community and voluntary groups.   Celebrating this special centenary year, the theme of this year’s parade is 1916-The Legacy and there will be many 1916 commemoration events happening in venues throughout Cork over the weekend.   

The streets of Cork will be awash with talented mime artists, jugglers and magicians from around the world, and there will be a fantastic line-up of live music on the stage at Grand Parade over the 4 days. 

There will also be creative workshops in Bishop Lucey Park, a local food and crafts market on Grand Parade, and a traditional commemorative music concert on St. Patrick’s night AISEIRI 1916.

Commenting on the launch of the festival, The Lord Mayor of Cork, Ard Mheara Cllr. Chris O’Leary said, “This year’s Cork’s St. Patrick’s Festival is going to bigger, better and greener than ever before. It once again focuses on free family entertainment and offers a fresh alternative to the other festivals.  I am so proud to invite visitors home to our magical city to experience the very best in local, national and international talent.”

The Cork St. Patrick’s Festival is organised by Cork City Council and proudly supported by Cork Airport and Cork’s RedFM. 

Highlights of this year’s festival include...

The Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade

The Parade kicks off at 1pm on March 17 at South Mall Street and travels onto Grand Parade, St. Patrick’s Street before finishing at Merchant’s Quay.

The theme of this year’s parade is 1916 – The Legacy in line with the yearlong celebrations of the 100 year anniversary of the 1916 rising.

Up to 3,000 community arts, sports and music groups from the city, county and beyond will take part in the parade.   

They will be joined by five specially commissioned giant art pieces, created by renowned street theatre companies, who will bring the colour of carnival and mardi-gras feeling to Cork.  Their pieces will also reflect on the past 100 years.

• LUXe – Legacy of Optimism
• Dowtcha – A Padraig Pearce puppet reading the proclamation and ‘Happy Out’, commissioned on the weather.
• Spraoi – Irish Fauna and Ireland through the ‘80s.
• Bui Bolg – Irish Creativity, including an Irish Trad Music and Literary Float.

A wide range of nationalities will take place in the event this year, including the Smoky Hill High School "Hill Regiment" Marching Band, the Massachusetts State Police, The Ridgeview High School Band, Timmins Police Pipes & Drums (Canadian Police Band).

The closing date for parade entries has been extended to February 26^th.

Live Streaming of the Parade

The Cork St Patrick’s Festival Parade will be streamed live on www.corkcity.ie/tv and www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie for those who cannot attend.  Organisers are encouraging people all over Ireland and the world to send in their St Patrick’s Day message or selfie to be aired on this live broadcast on the day.  Simply take a 10-20 second video on your phone and tweet it to @LivefromCork, tag us on your Facebook post, or email livefromcork@gmail.com.

Live Music

It wouldn't be St Patrick's weekend in Cork without lots of live entertainment. The city will rock with a live music stage on Grand Parade over the weekend. There will be something for everyone with music from The Roaring Forties, Douglas Comhaltas Céilí Mór, Suzie Q, Los Paddys de la Pampas a fusion of Celtic roots with South American rhythm, Soul Reazon, returning to Cork for the first time in many years, the popular Two-time Polka, The Céili Allstars.

An extensive series of free traditional Irish Music sessions will also take place in Cork City Centre pubs featuring masters of traditional music. Check out www.theleesessions.com for updates.

Workshops in the Park:
A number of workshops will also take place in Bishop Lucey Park over the weekend.

• Wobbly Circus
  Become part of Wobbly Circus by joining in their circus skills workshop.  They will have a huge cache of circus props with expert teachers to show you how.  The workshop is run on a “come and have a go” basis, and all ages can come and learn the tricks of the circus, including tightwire walking, juggling, diabolo and devilstick techniques, plate spinning, poi spinning, and more.   Come join in on Saturday in Bishop Lucey Park from 12noon to 5pm.
• Chapeau Magique
  All the way from France, Paul Henri Jeannel is a professor and a magician, with his spectacular folding paper workshops that generate hundreds of large scale paper hats.  Join in the fun on Sunday, as Paul Henri sets out his giant squares of paper on the ground, and shows you how to make your very own St Patricks Festival hat.  Then wear it going home!
• The Greening of the City: 
  Cork’s most famous buildings, like Cork City Hall and Bishop Lucey Park, will be illuminated in green.

Festival Market:
The festival’s Food and Crafts Market takes place on the Grand Parade and Bishop Lucey Park, where you will find local food stalls that will whet anyone’s appetite. The markets will be open from 10am-6pm on 17, 19 & 20 of March.

Street Theatre: 
The streets of Cork will be a wash with talented mime artists, jugglers, musicians and magicians from around the world throughout the four-day long event, as they put on stunning shows for spectators. The fantastic line-up includes The Funky Pirates, Cork City Samba Band, Wobbly Circus Walkabout, The Variety Show, The Golfers, The Ugly Sisters, The Leprechaun and The Fabularium.
 

1916 Commemoration Events

Many special events are taking place over the St Patrick’s Festival weekend as part of the 1916/2016 Commemorations.

• AISEIRI 1916 will be a special evening of music and commemorations on St. Patrick’s Night.  The show will poignantly remember and honour Cork’s finest raconteurs - The Men of Ireland, Mná na hÉireann and the Irish children who lost their lives in the 1916 Rising, in Rebel Song and Verse. The event, which takes place at Cork Opera House, will feature Mary Hegarty & Joe Corbett with Cork ETB Youth Orchestra. It promises to be an informative, engaging and fitting centenary remembrance.  Presented by Cork ETB, Cork City Counci and Cork County Council, doors open at 8pm and tickets cost €20.
• An Exhibition telling the story of the 1916 Rising is on Thursday-Saturday from 11am-7pm at St Peter’s Church on the North Main Street. 
• The Crawford Art Gallery 1916 Art Trail takes place Friday and Saturday from 10am-5pm.
• Sisters of the Rising by Christiane O’Mahony is showing at The Everyman Theatre on Thursday and Friday at 8pm with tickets priced at €20/Concession €18/ Students €9.
  Sisters of the Rising is a funny and poignant story and a testament to the many forgotten women who fought for Irish independence.
• A Great Arrangement at The Gardens Theatre Ballyphehane, Thursday-Saturday 8pm, €20. A Great Arrangement draws from actual letters between Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan, Collin’s inspirational speeches, Dail Treaty debates and factual newspaper accounts to bring to the stage the true story of a unique couple in a divided country at an extraordinary time.  To book, see www.corkoperahouse.ie or call 021 4270022

The Lord Mayor’s Centenary Charity Ball : 

The Lord Mayor’s Centenary Charity Ball will be held on Friday 11^th March.  Tickets and further information available from the Lord Mayor’s Office at 021 4924120 or email lord_mayor@corkcity.ie.

The Cork St. Patrick’s Festival is organised by Cork City Council and proudly supported by Cork Airport and Cork’s RedFM.  For further information see www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie, Facebook @corkstpatricksfestival, or Twitter @corkpaddysfest.