Cork Goes Green For The Cork St Patrick’s Festival

​​​​​​​Organised by Cork City Council, the Cork St Patrick’s Festival will take place this weekend from Friday March 16- Sunday March 18th. Cork City will be a carnival of colour and pageantry as the city celebrates our national festival in style.

A series of events will take place as part of the Cork St Patrick’s Festival

• Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade, Sat March 17, 1pm
• St Patrick’s Day Market, Sat March 17, Noon-5pm, Emmet Place
• Kids Storytelling Morning, St Peter’s Church, Sat March 17 11am-12pm
• St Patrick’s Hill Ball Run with Cork Lions Club, Sunday March 18, 2pm
• The Lee Sessions Trad Trail in Cork City Centre Pubs throughout the weekend

The much-anticipated Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place at 1pm this Saturday March 17th and will feature up to 3000 community participants and floats from all over the country.

The Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at the bottom of the South Mall making its way along the South Mall, along the Grand Parade, up Patrick’s Street before it finishes at the corner of Merchants Quay. The Parade will be streamed live on http://www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie/ as well as www.corkcity.ie/tv from 12.30pm.

To mark 100 Years since the vote for Women, the 2018 Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshall will consist of a collective of female political representatives of Cork since the foundation of the state. It will include a selection of current and former members of the Oireachtas and European Parliament, former Lords Mayor and current and former City councillors. Deceased members will be represented by family members.

The Parade will feature several innovative floats all which will celebrate 100 years since the Vote for Women. Cork Community Art Link, through their colourful floats and with the help of 120 people from local artistic and voluntary groups all over Cork, will track the story of the people of the feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a game of cat and mouse. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing.   

Waterford performance art group Spraoi will celebrate the Women’s Suffrage Movement and will comprise of two large floats and a cast of 25 costumed performers. The first of the two pieces is a large puppet carved from wood and dressed to symbolise a historical warrior Queen of ancient Ireland.  The second piece is of a heroic character on horseback bearing a sculpted flag based on a pendant worn by suffragette supporters over 100 years ago.

Wexford-based Buí Bolg will present a large interactive ballot box with dramatic interactive elements.

The Texas Hendrickson Silver Dancers and the Jersey City Police Emerald Society will march in the Parade as will representatives from the French Navy. New communities in Cork including the Congolese Community, the Lithuanian Community, the Nepalese Community, Ethiopian Community, Filipino Community and the Indian Community will all take part in the Parade.

An area on St. Patrick’s street will be designated for wheelchair users and those with special needs. There will be ISL Interpreter Services available adjacent to the Viewing Stand which will be located on St. Patrick’s Street in front of French Church Street. For further information on accessing this service, contact the Cork St. Patrick’s Festival office at stpatricksfestival@corkcity.ie or telephone 021-4924344/021-4924736.

For full details on parking, park and ride bus facilities and traffic restrictions are on www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie

The Cork St Patrick’s Festival is sponsored by Cork Airport with media sponsors Evening Echo and Red FM