Roscrea readies for 40th successive St Patrick's Day parade

Roscrea’s Community Development Council’s sub-committee under the chairmanship of Steve Crofton is finalising plans for Roscrea’s 40th successive St Patrick’s Day Parade.

The milestone event will begin with a Blessing of the Shamrock at the Review Stand at 3pm on St Patrick’s Day, with the parade commencing at 3.30pm.

Roscrea’s first annual St Patrick’s Day Parade was held on our national feast day in 1979 and thus this year’s parade on our 2018 national feast day is the town’s 40th successive parade.  All of the businesses, community groups, schools and indeed individuals in Roscrea and district are invited to enter a float or walking party into this year’s parade and really make it a community event and a recognition and celebration of the community initiative, work and perseverance, which started this parade in 1979 and ensured that it took place every year since. 

In most towns that managed to have an annual parade for so many years, it is usually found that same was organised by, or at least very greatly supported by, the town’s statutory town council. However, back through the years, Roscrea, unlike all its neighbouring towns, had no such body. It was the young local people who made up the then Roscrea Junior Chamber in 1979 who initiated the parade then and kept it going for a number of years. 

Then in the late 1980s, it was Roscrea Chamber of Commerce, under the delegated guidance of Adrian Hewson, who ensured the annual parade took place. When Roscrea Community Development Council was formed in September 1995, it was they who ensured that the Roscrea St Patrick’s Day Parade continued to take place as a community parade each year and that the community had this public opportunity to celebrate our national feast day.  

The RCDC sub committee under the chairmanship of Steve Crofton is now pleading with all in the community to support community on March 17th next by making an effort to take part in the town’s 40th St Patrick’s Day Parade. All those wishing to be part of, or support this community event, will be most welcome and Parade Secretary Marie Tooher (phone 0505 21566) would love to hear from you. The organising committee is really depending on your participation and support in the hope of having representation from all community groups in the town to make the 2018 parade a truly community event.  

 

CASH PRIZES - €500
The organising committee has decided to give out a cash prize of €100 to each winning entry in the following categories:-    Best Overall Entry, Best Schools Entry, Best Business Float, Best Sport/Youth Category and Best Residents Group.  Therefore the committee is urging all entrants to make a special effort in the hope of winning the cash prizes.

As usual there are a large number of trophies in various categories for parade entries and hence those entering floats are encouraged to make ‘the little extra effort’, which might be rewarded with a perpetual trophy.

The organising committee is also this year holding its annual shop window competition for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize, the winners of which will be announced from the Review Stand. The theme for the shop window display is “Memories of by-gone years”, which is also the theme of for this year’s parade.