Fingal gets set for wonderful St Patrick's Day parades

St Patrick's Day parade

St. Pa.trick’s Day in Fingal is set to be a bustling celebration of all things Irish, as over 136 groups and counting take part in parades to be held across the county.

Fingal County Council’s Events Unit has fielded 53 applications from Swords, 47 from Blanchardstown and 36 from Balbriggan so far.

Fingal County Council would like to welcome everyone to enjoy the parades Locations and starting times on Sunday (March 17) are as follows:

  • Swords                  11.00 am
  • Balbriggan              2.00 pm
  • Blanchardstown      3.00 pm

There are also parades taking place in Rush, Lusk and Skerries which are organised by community groups. The Rush parade begins at 1 pm and the Lusk parade takes place at 1.30pm. In Skerries, the parade begins at 3 pm.

The Swords parade route will go through Swords Main Street before finishing at Swords Castle. The Balbriggan parade will begin at Lambeecher, go through the main street and end at St Peter and Paul's Church. The Blanchardstown parade will commence in the village and make its way to the Blanchardstown Centre.

Fingal County Council is partnering with St. Patrick’s Festival in Swords to present a new pageant. The collaboration involves working with community groups in Fingal to develop stories around Irish tradition, diversity and Irish mythology.

The pageant will be inspired by local mythology and traditions such as the Legend of St. Patrick, Ériu the Goddess of Ireland, and St. Patrick’s Island, the island off the coast of Skerries where St. Patrick is reputed to have first landed on Irish shores.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin said: “Saint Patrick’s Day is a significant cultural event and the parades allow Fingal residents to celebrate in their communities. The St Patrick’s Day Parades are an opportunity for residents to learn about local community groups and the businesses in their area. I look forward to seeing the diverse and creative floats at the Fingal parades this year.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid said: “Over 55,000 people attended the Fingal Saint Patrick’s Day parades last year and I look forward to seeing the turn out for this year.

“Davis Events have been again engaged by Fingal County Council to deliver the 2019 parades in Swords, Balbriggan and Blanchardstown.

“The Fingal Events team works to organise parades that are an entertaining and inclusive cultural celebration.”