Record numbers attend local St Patrick’s Day celebrations

THERE were bustling St Patrick’s Day parades held around South Dublin County last week, with a record number of people attending them in Clondalkin, Lucan, and the Four Districts.

The Four Districts parade weaved its way through Rathcoole and Saggart to the delight of the large crowds of spectators who lined the route.

A total of 500 people marched in the parade, including 16 community groups, marking a high-point in St Patrick’s Day festivities in the area.

Sharon Redmond, the coordinator of the Four Districts parade, told The Echo: “It was phenomenal – it was even better than pre-Covid, it was so busy.

“The streets were thronged with people in Rathcoole and Saggart, and the support from the community was lovely.

“I was really, really proud and actually a bit emotional. It was a massive effort this year to provide the event to the community.

“It was probably the best parade we’ve ever had, and it was certainly the biggest.”

Over in Clondalkin, fast-rising rapper Sello led the St Patrick’s Day parade as the grand marshal, with over 10,000 people lining the streets of the village for the celebratory event.

Around 1,500 people marched in the parade itself, including 33 community groups, with organiser and local Independent councillor Francis Timmons heralding the event as a great success.

Stephen Smullen from Newlands Taekwondo Club demonstrating his skills

“It was super, we had over 10,000 people,” he told The Echo. “We were expecting that many, but you never know until the day itself.

“The feedback overall was very positive. We had a sensory area and a wheelchair area, and I think the parade brought out the best in people – the atmosphere was electric.

“It was really positive.”

The Lucan St Patrick’s Day parade was also brimming with positivity, and was led by grand marshal and ‘Fair City’ actor Sorcha Furlong.

Over 2,000 people marched in the parade and were enthusiastically greeted by the large crowds that lined Lucan for the event.

“We had 41 entries for the parade, so pretty much every single community organisation in Lucan participated,” explained Caroline Brady from the parade committee.

“Over 2,000 people marched in the parade. It’s hard to estimate how many people were in the crowd, but it was huge.

“We assembled at Hillcrest and it was absolutely jammed. The crowds were 20 deep and lined the whole way down Dodsborough Road and the N4.

“It was electric. There was such a good buzz, and everyone was having such a good time.

“People who came to the parade from outside Lucan said it was the biggest and best parade they’d been to, outside of the one in town.

“Now we’re going to see what we can do next year to be even bigger and better.”

See more photos on pages 40 & 41 Echo 23/3/23

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