'We're delighted to be here. The parade is always such a lovely way to see all of the community'
Kennedy, Waters and Burke families, at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waterford city. Photo: Joe Evans
Over 2,000 people participated in Ireland’s oldest St Patrick's Day parade. The first St Patrick’s Day parade was held in Waterford in 1903 and the theme of this year’s parade, 'St Patrick’s Day: Where it all began', was reflected in the historical allusions in many of the floats.
Particularly Spraoi, which featured a giant dragon float as a nod to St Patrick’s Welsh heritage.
Before the parade began, Sir Thomas Francis Meagher presented the Mayor of Waterford, Councillor Séamus Ryan, with the sword of Waterford.
One of the commentators for the parade, Dymphna Nugent of WLR FM, said that Sir Meagher was “looking very well for his age” at 203 years old.
Mayor Ryan told the crowd, “The parade here in Waterford is always a sight to behold and it is a pleasure to see so many of our friends, families and community groups coming together to celebrate our national holiday."
As the sea of community groups approached the Mall, Dymphna Nugent said, “You can have your London’s, you can have your New York’s and your Dublin’s, but lads, there’s no place like home.”
Included in the parade were All Ireland club hurling champions Ballygunner GAA Club, Autism Friendly Waterford - the group behind Waterford’s accolade of being Ireland’s first autism friendly city, and the Mulcahy Bible Irish Dancing School - set up in 1952 and still run by Waterford legend Betty Bible Mulcahy.
Described by Mayor Ryan as “an unsung hero of our community”, Dr Morgan McMonagle, a cardiovascular surgeon at University Hospital Waterford, was the Grand Marshal of the parade. This was in recognition of his humanitarian work in Ukraine, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
Dr McMonagle was working at Nassar Hospital when it was bombed and since then has spoken out against the genocide in Gaza. Upon receiving the RCSI Humanitarian and Community award, he said: "In recent times I have been very vocal about what I have experienced and witnessed on various missions. Some might call my impartiality into question, but the reality is that the traditional ‘rule book’ for conflict is changing."
The Waterford News & Star headed over to the forum before the parade, where the area was tranformed into a hub of nervous excitement, music and craic.
A spokesperson for the Edo community Waterford said, "We are so grateful for all the Waterford communuty has done for us. We love to participate in the parade and present the Waterford community with a dance we do in our own community."
Diego and Rodrigo Garduno from G-Force Taekwondo said, "Taekwondo gives kids a great deal of confidence and most importantly it gives them the ability to stand up for themselves and be a better self."
Pride of the Déise, who were walking in the parade for the first time this year, were very well dressed thanks to a workshop they held the night before.
"We're delighted to be here. The parade is always such a lovely way to see all of the community groups we have here," said Amy O'Riordan, PRO of the group.
Highlights of the parade included music from the Waterford Indian community, which was established in 2008, De La Salle Football Club, which celebrates 50 years this year, and dancing from Waterford’s Igbo community.
The dance performances from the parade did not disappoint. Waterford Panto Society and Soul Dance Arts both put on spectacular dance routines and various groups, such as Spraoi and Waterford Youth Arts, improvised their dances while wearing colourful costumes.
There were also plenty of vehicles in the parade. The crowd were treated to a look at a vintage fire truck from Waterford Fire Station and Waterford Marine Search and Rescue had an impressive number of ribs on top of cars, which added height to an otherwise mostly low parade.
To top it all off, G-Force Taekwondo treated the crowd to a ‘smashing’ performance where members chopped wooden blocks with their hands and feet.
Winning entries in the Waterford city St Patrick's Day parade included:
Panagbenga Flower Festival
Samaritans Waterford; Waterford Centre of Music; Igbo Community; Roanmore GAA and Camogie Club; Pride of the Déise.
Congratulations to all!
There were a total of six St Patrick's Day parades in Waterford this year. They were held in Tramore, Dungarvan, Portlaw, Cappaquin and Clashmore/Kinsalebeg.
Johnny, the chair of the Tramore parade committee, said, "It's a good day every day in Tramore but we love St Patrick's day, it's a real community day. Sunny day, dull day, it doesn't matter here."
The Grand Marshals of the Tramore Parade were Tramore Park Run, who are celebrating 10 years this year.
