March 2018

Experience the rich culture of Ireland at a series of free events to celebrate St Patrick.  Come to the place of ancient history, where Patrick’s sacred mountain lies and celebrate our Patron Saint.

WESTPORT

The 2018 St Patrick's Day Parade will take place on Saturday 17th March from 1.30 pm.

This year Westport is celebrating its 60 years of Westport Tidy Towns, and this will be the parade’s theme.

There will be lots of colourful floats, street musicians, artists, actors, bands, drummers, buskers and street performers.

The day will be full of fun, colour and music.

NEWPORT

The 2018 Newport St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place at 2.30 pm on Saturday 17th March and will be dedicated to the late Joe Brady.

The celebration will run all the day long. There will be floats, marching bands, music and entertainment. The event is also fully packed with family fun and activities including ceol, damhsa, face-painters and street performers. Lively pubs and restaurants will offer nice food and music at night.

This year the grand marshal of the parade will be the Honorable Colleen Hastings.

CROSSMOLINA

Crossmolina will celebrate St Patrick’s Day with the spectacular Festival of Lights and the Electric Light Parade, the first of its kind in Ireland.

The parade will take place on Saturday 17th March ay 7.30pm.

Floats, cars, tractors, trucks, buses, marching bands and children from the local schools will parade altogether along the main streets decorated in a selection of lights and effects for the event.

ACHILL ISLAND

On the rugged Achill Island St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated on Sunday 18th March. The island’s traditional pipe bands take a central role in this celebration by marching from village to village from a 6am reveille when the big drum is sounded to wake up and summon the members of the Achill Bands.

Visitors will enjoy a special day out following the Achill pipe bands, pausing for refreshments of course and taking time to spot the spectacular scenery of Achill Island. In the evening pubs and restaurants will offer live music.

BELMULLET

The 2018 Belmullet St Patrick Parade will take place on Saturday 17th March at 1pm. Decorated bikes, golf buggies and scooters will parade altogether with St Patrick!

CHARLESTOWN

The traditional St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday 17th March at noon assembling at The Arts Centre. Categories are as follow: Humorous/Topical, Vintage and Schools/Clubs.

CASTLEBAR

The 2018 St Patrick’s Day will take place on Saturday 17th March and assemble at the McHale Road Industrial Estate/An Sportlann area from 2 p.m. The parade will start at 3pm and take the usual route through the town with a reviewing stand at Main Street.

Local musicians, local dance school, street entertainers, face-painters and a magician will be involved. There will be also bouncy castles and family fun along with marching pipe bands, Irish dancing displays and floats will take part in the parade.

CLAREMORRIS

The St Patrick's Day Parade committee welcome visitors to the town of Claremorris for the annual parade. This has become an action-packed, fun day for all the family, young and old. It will take place on Saturday, 17th March, assembling at 3pm from the lakeside shopping centre, on the old Ballindine road, leading on to James St. and on to The Square.

It will finish off up the Ballyhaunis road. Lots of colourful marching bands will perform proceeding under way; there will be a fine display of music, song and dance with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann. 

BALLINA

The 2018 St Patrick's Day parade and fireworks will take place on Sunday 18th March from 4pm celebrating all things community. It is an event full packed with family fun, music, dance groups and entertainment.

Sporting clubs, children clubs and group will take part in the parade. Locals bars will offer live music throughout the day and after the parade.

OTHER TOWNS

• Foxford: Saturday 17th March at 1pm.

• Swinford: Saturday 17th March. This year the theme will be “Building a better Community”

• Killala: Saturday 17th March at 12pm sharp starting from the Community Centre.