THE JIGS and reels of some 20,000 legs in St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, this evening will continue the build-up to St Patrick’s Day.
There has been a significant increase in the number of towns marking the national day with more than 100 parades planned across the country tomorrow.
AA Roadwatch has advised motorists travelling tomorrow afternoon to check their route for potential delays before they set out.
A dry afternoon, occasional sunny spells and mild temperatures are predicted by Met Éireann for St Patrick’s Day.
Tonight’s open air céilí in Dublin will be led by Riverdance performer Dearbhla Lennon and accompanied by traditional musicians from 4pm.
The céilí atmosphere continues at the National Concert Hall at 8pm with a performance by the Kilfenora Céilí Band.
Dublin will have the largest street parade tomorrow with some 3,000 participants and over half a million onlookers expected to line the 3km route.
Former Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner will lead the parade as grand marshal, closely followed by the Army, Garda and Dublin Fire Brigade bands.
The theme of the parade is “extraordinary world” and it will feature street theatre troupes, giant puppets and dancers. Giant insects, a giant egg-laying chicken and a six metre-high Gulliver are among the puppets by groups from across the world
Dublin’s diverse culture will be celebrated in the Dublin fusion pageant which forms part of the parade and features people from many nations including Belarus, Jamaica and Zimbabwe. The staple marching bands will also feature prominently having travelled from Louisiana, Austria, Brittany, Madrid, Yorkshire and North Carolina.
The parade begins at midday from Parnell Square and makes its way along O’Connell Street and Dame Street past Christ Church Cathedral and finishes near St Patrick’s Cathedral.Road closures will operate along the route between 5am to 4:30pm and Western Way will be closed from 8pm tonight until 2.30pm tomorrow.
Luas red line services will operate only as far as Smithfield from 11am to 2.45pm. Tara Street station will be closed until 4pm but the Dart will operate special services before and after the parade from Pearse Station and Connolly Station. Motorists should avoid driving into towns and cities because of likely parking problems, while vintage cars and tractors travelling to parades may cause further delays, AA Roadwatch warned yesterday.
“One route, on which drivers will face numerous closures, is the N52 from Birr to Dundalk as you pass the parades at Ardee, Kells, Tullamore and Kilcormac. The N3 and N2 will also be affected by the Kells and Ardee parades,” said Nicola Hudson, AA Roadwatch controller.
“The opening of many bypasses and motorways in the past 12 months will aid travellers who wish to bypass the festivities. However, Cork/Dublin traffic will still be stopped at Durrow at 2pm,” she said.The Cork city parade begins at 1pm on the South Mall before continuing on to Grand Parade to St Patrick’s Street. Routes will be closed from midday.
In Kilkenny city up to 15,000 onlookers are expected at the parade from 2pm.
AA Roadwatch has warned motorists to avoid driving into Waterford city “at all costs”. Some 40,000 people are expected to line the route of the 1pm parade.
After launching the St Patrick’s Festival with fireworks at the weekend, Limerick city expects up to 30,000 spectators for its parade tomorrow.
The Galway city parade begins at 12.30pm on Fairhill Road and will end in Eyre Square. “Over the moon” is the theme of the parade which regularly attracts 70,000 spectators.
The six-day St Patrick’s Festival will end tomorrow night with a feast of Irish music. Donal Lunny leads a celebration of Irish voices at the National Concert Hall while Kila performs at the Olympia.
Updates on St Patrick’s Day events can be found on www.irishtimes.com
