Cork city starts its St. Patrick’s celebrations on Saturday the 14th of March with 2 days of free family entertainment. Then there is a day of rest until the big day itself when the St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place bringing the city alive with marching bands, clowns, jugglers and community carnival groups. Have a look at our brief guide for more information…

Cork city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade starts at 1.00p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day. The parade route begins at South Mall and will proceed along Grand Parade, St. Patrick’s Street and Merchant’s Quay.

Last year there were 1700 participants in the parade and no doubt the organisers will be looking at the same numbers again this year. In the parade you can expect to see marching bands, dancers, street theatre performers, community carnival groups, jugglers, Irish dancers, clowns, brass bands and gospel singers.

Cork St. Patrick’s Festival in association with Blackrock Castle Observatory are celebrating the UN International Year of Astronomy 2009 and because of this the theme of Cork’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will be “Cosmic Chaos”.

Now the merriment isn’t just confined to St. Patrick’s Day. You can get in early on the celebrations by coming to Cork city on Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th of March. The city centre will be a lively place to be with free family entertainment of the usual mix of street performers, traditional music, musicians and marching bands.

If you get a little time between all this merry making try to have a look at “Capture the Cosmos” held in Millennium Hall, City Hall. This features the work of students from 4 local Cork schools. Using 2 different printing processes, they have presented their interpretation of the Universe.

Then of course there is the very popular Barry’s Tea Food Market which takes place in Grand Parade on the 14th, 15th and 17th of March from 10.00a.m. to 6.00p.m. Take a stroll by here for the best in local goods and produce.

It is important to note that there will be road closures and traffic restrictions. The main parade route will be closed to traffic from 11.45a.m.

So that’s just a very brief look at St. Patrick’s festivities in Cork City. If you would like further information, please take a look at the Cork St Patrick’s Festival website.

If you are thinking of making Cork the focus of your St. Patrick’s Day festivities, why not have a look at our Cork Hotels page for some accommodation ideas.

If you have been to Cork city for their St. Patrick’s Day festivities in the past, why not drop us a line in the comments box below about your experience - we would love to hear from you!


Comments