Organisers of the town’s St Patrick’s Day Festival have revealed further details of the first parade to hit the streets since 2020.

TIME TO TURN GREEN: St Patrick's Festival Killarney Committee were honoured to have Cian McMahon Captain St Brendan's College Senior Football team to launch this year’s festival. Pictured from left were: Bernadette Randles Brian Teahan (Killarney MD) Angela McAllen (Killarney MD Manager) Garda Inspector Gary Carroll David Rea Niall Kelleher (President of Killarney Chamber) Cathaoirleach Killarney Municipal District Cllr Marie Maloney and Paul Sherry (Chairman St Patrick's Festival). Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan

The parade will commence on Mission Road at 2pm on March 17 and it will wind its way along East Avenue Road, College Street, Plunkett Street, Main Street and New Street before finishing in the Beech Road car park.

Organisers have appealed to community groups, sports clubs, organisations, residents, businesses and individuals to make a special effort to participate and the event will be watched by thousands of people who will line the streets.

The theme for this year’s event is Earth/An Chré – a celebration of the planet, the land that sustains us and the world we live in.

There will be a children’s fun zone, with amusements, magic shows and a lively DJ, on Beech Road during the festival and it will run from 12 noon to 7pm from St Patrick’s Day right through to the following Sunday.

Prior to the parade, the Killarney School of Music Concert Band, under the direction of Pádraig Buckley, will perform on the festival grandstand on Main Street and masters of ceremony for the big parade, Brendan Fuller and Kieran Healy, will ensure a fabulous atmosphere in the town centre all through the day.

“This has been a long time coming and we’re really looking forward to the fun and the frolics,” said festival chairman Paul Sherry.

“We want the whole town to turn out this year and, with restrictions lifted, we can get back to celebrating and enjoying ourselves like only we can with a fabulous family atmosphere and so much to enjoy.”

Greening of iconic buildings

The town’s iconic buildings will turn a fabulous shade of green in the days leading up to and for the week after St Patrick’s Day and the spotlight will fall on Ross Castle, St Mary’s Cathedral, the Franciscan Friary, Killarney Courthouse, Killarney’s Methodist Church, St Mary’s Church of Ireland and the town’s feature statues and monuments.

Many local shops, hotels and business premises will all join in the fun by lighting up their buildings and workplaces in the most amazing shades of green.

Application forms for the parade can be downloaded from the official festival website www.stpatricksfestivalkillarney.ie or collected from the town hall.