Kilcormac St Patrick’s Day Parade celebrates 40th anniversary

Kilcormac St Patrick’s Day committee launched this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade recently in St Joseph’s Community Centre Kilcormac which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the parade.

All efforts are being made to make it an extra special day for everyone and the committee is delighted to announce that Bord na Móna have come on board as sponsors this year thus providing much needed sponsorship funding to help mark the milestone.

Speaking at the launch of Kilcormac St Patrick's Day Parade, Community Engagement Manager, Bord na Móna, Patricia Mulligan said:

“Bord na Móna has been a proud member of the midlands community for many years and we are delighted to have come on board as the main sponsor of the Kilcormac St Patrick’s Day Parade who are now preparing for a historical 40th anniversary. Bord na Móna has a long association with the Kilcormac Parade, the company has entered many floats during this time, and it is our pleasure to support this significant 40th anniversary.

This event also reflects the dedication, hard work, energy and commitment of the committee, the local schools, and the support of the people in the Kilcormac community in the preparation of a festival of street theatre, song, dance, engineering floats and depicting history,” added Ms Mulligan.

She also congratulated the town on reaching this milestone of its 40th anniversary and wished the community a successful and enjoyable St Patrick’s Day 40th anniversary celebration.

The parade will commence at 3.30pm on St Patrick's Day from the KK GAA field in Kilcormac and make its way down the Main Street to the Grandstand where the judging will take place. No pre-registration is necessary so anyone interested in taking part in the parade should arrive at the GAA grounds from 2.30pm. School entries, fancy dress and any children’s entries are being asked to gather inside the gates at the car park for safety and all other entries should line-up on the Birr Road facing Kilcormac where registration will be done.

Kilcormac Parade has a long-standing reputation of being a non-commercial and highly creative parade where young and old take part and it includes the whole community. This is something the committee are very proud of so they want to make this 40th anniversary event extra special for all involved.

Plans are well under way in the background with lots of speculation about the floats that will enter this year, the competition is expected to be high as always but this year to celebrate the anniversary there will be prize money on offer for the entries. A total of € 1,400 in prize money will be given out on the day across all categories. Along with the prize money, every child will receive a medal for their participation and every float will received a keepsake medallion which has become somewhat of a collector’s item over the years.

The committee would like to thank Kilcormac Development Association, local businesses, community volunteers and the main sponsor Bord na Móna for their support in both sponsorship, time and effort for this years parade and over the past 40 years. The categories for this year's Parade include: Overall Winner, Joe Coleman Exceptional Entry, Paddy Dooley Vintage Entry, Best Group Display Entry, Bord na Móna Sustainability Entry, Most Original Entry, Fancy Dress 1st and Fancy Dress 2nd.