CORK - Three firefighters, representing the 3rd Ladder Company of New York, will be the grand marshals at this year's St Patrick's Day Parade in Cork, writes Dick Hogan. In the September 11th tragedy, they lost 12 colleagues and learned only on Tuesday last that the body of their lieutenant had been recovered from the rubble.
Some 50 members of the Boston Fire Brigade will also be in Cork for the parade, as will the 70 members of the South West Texas USA Marching Band.
The parade will begin from St Patrick's Bridge at 12.30 p.m. and finish near the South Mall viewing platform at about 3 p.m. The route will include Patrick's Street, Grand Parade and South Mall.
GALWAY - The organisers aim to make up for last year's cancellation of the St Patrick's Day festivities due to foot-and-mouth precautions with a weekend of events in the city and county, writes Lorna Siggins.
In fact, the "mischief" began five days ago, when the "saint" landed in a small skiff in the Claddagh, piloted by fisherman Nicky Dolan, and was greeted by students from Gaelscoil Dara. A "very pagan-like" procession followed, to quote the organisers,with a merry band led by a Scottish piper who thought he was "Braveheart" making its way up into the city from the Spanish Arch.
Tonight, the "flame of St Patrick" is due to be landed at the Claddagh, where it will light a score of torches. Bands will set off to march through the Norman town at around 7 p.m., accompanied by "wild music" played by descendants of legendary "cowboys" from Connemara, including the "ferocious O'Flahertys".
The "flame" is designed to capture the spirit of the occasion and whet appetites for the main parade tomorrow, which is due to start at 12.30 p.m. at University College Hospital, Galway (UCHG).
LIMERICK - The St Patrick's Day Parade at 11.30 p.m. tomorrow will have the US Air Forces in Europe Band as a special guest to lead the bands, writes Éibhir Mulqueen.
The grand marshal is rugby international Peter Clohessy, with his family, while the colour party is being led by Comdt Tony Chullier of the Army Reserve.
The Limerick parade will also have members of the Massachusetts State Police marching.
Later in the day, the Limerick International Band Festival, which has been running in the city for the past 32 years, will begin.
A gala concert will be held at the University Concert Hall, Limerick, tomorrow night when the US Air Force band perform with the Band of the 1st Southern Brigade, Cork, to raise funds for local charities as part of a Rotary Club initiative.
On Monday the International Marching Band parade and competition takes place between O'Connell Street and Arthur's Quay Park.
SLIGO - Visitors from over the Border will be among 12 bands taking part in the St Patrick's Day parade in Sligo, writes Theresa Judge. Among those coming from the North is a cross-community Friendship Band, a pipe band from Newcastle, Co Down, and the Northern Caledonian Band from Belfast.
The Irish Prison Officers' Band will also be making their first appearance at the event.
The parade starts at 12 noon from the Weighbridge.
WATERFORD - The city is taking the St Patrick's Festival idea to heart with a range of entertainment events planned around tomorrow's parade, writes Chris Dooley.
Thousands of people, including visitors from St Herblain in France, with which Waterford is twinned, are expected to line the route of the parade, which starts at noon from Bunker's Hill.