Culture

The Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade

by infomatique | March 16, 2010 at 12:36 pm

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St. Patrick's Festival Parade in Dublin Is at 12 Noon Today!

Here in Dublin we are still celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

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St. Patrick’s Day is the highlight of the year for the Irish and those who wish they were Irish!

Our national day has become a worldwide celebration in many major cities across the globe and no more so than in Dublin our capital city. Wednesday 17th March saw the streets of Dublin transformed with the thousands of performers, characters and spectators. According to media reports up to 800,000 people lined to two mile parade route.

The theme for this year’s Festival Parade was ‘The Extraordinary World’ which has been interpreted in different ways by the many street theatre pageant companies took part.

Leading the parade as Grand Marshal this year was International Soccer legend, Packie Bonner who is recognised as one of the finest contributors to Irish sporting history.

Eight pageant groups from Ireland and beyond performed in this year’s Festival Parade.

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visitors have already been given the opportunity to be immersed in Irish culture and craic (the Irish for fun) every day since last Friday but for the more adventurous the St. Patrick's Festival Céilí gave them the opportunity to dance in the street.

Music was supplied courtesy of Pádraig Ó Sé, Gary O'Brien and friends, and FIDIL, the multiple-award winning Donegal fiddle players (Aidan O'Donnell, Damien McGeehan and Ciaran Ó Maoinigh). The Cunningham family mesmerized with sean-nós and step-dancing. Expert callers lead dancers through the Siege of Ennis, the Walls of Limerick and plenty more, and there were plenty of spot-prize.

While I was there a gentleman from Switzerland won a prize for his Michael Flatley impression.

MC for the afternoon was Dearbhla Lennon. Dearbhlais one of Ireland's best known dancers, having danced from the tender age of two. Coming from a family steeped in traditional Irish music, song and dance, the whole clan are talented in one or other discipline. Dearbhla's mum is, in fact, the legendary Irish Dance teacher Móna Ní Rodaigh.
After completing a degree in Journalism & Media Communications, Dearbhla began working in television in 2005, both in front of and behind the camera. Working on shows such as The Afternoon Show, Celebrity Jig's Reels, Faoi Lán Ceoil, Meon na Mban and An Jig Gig, Dearbhla continues to combine her two great loves, Irish dance and television and has become a familiar face on Irish TV.

The Dublin Parade

The Main event, the Dublin Parade, begins at 12 noon and it is expected to last about two hours. This year the theme of the parade is 'Extraordinary World'.
The parade will feature newly commissioned, highly original and inventive street theatre troupes, artists, giant puppetry, dancers and marching bands from Ireland and across the globe.

City Fusion as part of St Patrick's Festival Parade

City Fusion is a community project which celebrates cultural diversity and promotes ethnic inclusion in the city of Dublin. Now in it's 4th year, City Fusion will celebrate cultural diversity in the capital with its St. Patrick's Festival pageant 'The Shadows of Colour'.

Ninety individuals from as far and wide as Belarus to Zimbabwe come together as one body to shine a light on the extraordinary world of colour. With energy and gusto the 2010 City Fusion pageant creates a vivid display of individuality and will explore the beauty of light and colour that co exists with the shadow of darkness which resonates in us all.

City Fusion poses the question - Did St. Patrick truly manage to banish all the snakes from Ireland or are there snakes still lurking in the shadows?

Designed by Sabine Dargent, Directed by Muirne Bloomer with a wonderful team of professional artists and the lively and dedicated participation of 90 individuals from Lithuania, Belarus, Jamaica, Botswana, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Indonesia, Cameroon, The Phillipines, Holland, Zimbabwe and of course Ireland.