Ireland

St Patrick's Day Parades: What you need to know

Festival organisers are urging people to get to town early

A Japanese tourist chats with a busker dressed as St Patrick in Temple Bar as Dublin’s St Patrick’s Day Festival begins. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
A Japanese tourist chats with a busker dressed as St Patrick in Temple Bar as Dublin’s St Patrick’s Day Festival begins. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Sun Mar 17 2019 - 10:58

St Patrick’s day is here once again and main parade in Dublin started at 12pm.

The traffic restrictions and road closures will be in place until 6pm this evening.

The following roads are subject to restrictions:

  • Mountjoy Street
  • Mountjoy Street Middle
  • Wellington Street
  • Palmerstown Place
  • Granby Row
  • St Mary's Place North
  • Parnell Square North
  • Parnell Square East
  • O'Connell St Upper and Lower
  • O'Connell Bridge
  • Cavendish Row
  • Westmoreland Street
  • College Green
  • Dame Street
  • Lord Edward Street
  • Christchurch Place
  • Nicholas Street
  • Patrick Street
  • New Street South
  • Clanbrassil St Lower
  • Kevin St Upper/Lower
  • Cuffe Street
  • St Stephen's Green South.
  • Some roads such as Western Way will reopen once the parade finishes at 3pm.

Merrion Square south will be closed until 6am on Monday to accommodate the St Patrick’s Festival Funfair.

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There will also be some disruption to Luas services today on both the Red and Green lines.

The stops on the Red Line closed until 3pm are:

  • Four Courts
  • Jervis
  • Abbey Street
  • Busáras
  • Connolly
  • George's Dock
  • Mayor Square - NCI
  • Spencer Dock
  • The Point

Trams will operate from Tallaght/Saggart to Smithfield from 10:45am to 3pm. Full Red Line services will resume after 3pm.

The stops on the Green Line closed until 3pm are:

  • Dawson
  • Westmoreland
  • O'Connell – GPO
  • O'Connell Upper
  • Parnell
  • Marlborough
  • Trinity

Trams will operate from Brides Glen to St Stephen's Green and from Broombridge to Dominick from 7am to 6pm. Full Red Line services will resume after 3pm.

Parade Map

Parade Route: It will kick off at 12pm
Parade Route: It will kick off at 12pm

This year’s theme is "storytelling" and performers inspired by it will feature throughout the parade.

Cork

The rebel county's parade will start at 1pm running from South Mall to Grand Parade, up St. Patrick's Street and finishing off at Merchant's Quay.

Parade Route: It will kick off at 12pm
Parade Route: It will kick off at 12pm

The theme this year is "Cork stories".  There's plenty to do around the city after the parade including  The Lee Sessions in pubs around town,  you can visit some of their top attractions or discover the city on foot with Cork City Walks.

Galway

One of the longest running St. Patrick's day parades in the country kicked off at 11:30am this year. The theme this year is "diversity".

Galway's 117th parade started at NUIG, down University Road, crossing Salmon Weir Bridge onto Francis' Street and Eglinton Street up Williamsgate Street to Prospect Hill before finishing up at Bothar Na mBan at 1pm.

Galway parade route.
Galway parade route.

Limerick

Limerick's "One Giant Leap" theme is slightly different to others this year by celebrating the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's  moon landing.

Their Grand Marshal will be Dr Norah Patten who is in the running to be Ireland's first astronaut.

The parade started at 12pm.

Keeping with the lunar theme, you can see artist Luke Jerram's lastest artwork  which brings together moonlight and lunar imagery with sound. The exhibition honours the lasting effect the moon landing has had  on the world.

You can check out Museum of the Moon until March 21st.