Weather Holds Out For Cobh’s ‘Big’ St.Patrick’s Day Parade

Cobh’s own St.Patrick, Joe Devlin leads the wat last Sunday

Cobh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade had a huge turn out of floats, participating groups, vehicles and spectators.  With over 50 groups, 100 vehicles and over 1,000 participants taking part this was the biggest parade Cobh has seen for many years made all the better by the glorious sunshine.  The Mayor of Cobh, Cllr Sinead Shepperd welcomed everyone to the Parade and thanked the various groups for their hard work and dedication.

The organising groups involved were three of the towns most dynamic and hardworking, See You in Cobh, Cobh Tidy Towns and Cobh Tourism. With preparation taking up so much of their own time this was a parade the town could be very proud of and this showed in the hard work and effort put in by every participating group.

Compered by Claire Cullinane and her cousin Kevin Cullinane the afternoon kicked off with a beautiful performance by local woman Vivien Leahy who sang the Irish National Anthem.  At the stroke of the 3.30pm bells of St. Colman’s Cathedral the parade began alongside the Heritage Centre and past the Commodore Hotel and finished in town centre where hundreds of delighted families and supporters lined the streets, cheered and showed their appreciation.

St. Colman’s Pipe band led the parade followed by Cobh’s very own St. Patrick, Joe Devlin who joined the many dignitaries and invited guests on the main viewing stand positioned opposite the Titanic Experience in the Old White Star line Building.

The first of the large floats to arrive into the square was Cobh Town Rowing Club, followed by the Cobh Town Train,  S.W.E.L.S (Seniors with Active lifestyles), Cobh Classic Car Club, Rebel Riders and other Motor Bike groups, Butterfly Wings, Cobh Pirates Rugby Club, Aoife Ryan Irish Dancing, Rushbrooke Rowing Club, Little Learners, Tiny Tots, Rushbrooke Tennis Club, Springfield Ramblers, Cobh Pirates, and many more of the Town’s great, Theatre Groups and Youth Clubs, to name but a few. Only after the Parade had finished did the sun go in and the rain start to fall.

Approximately 300 photographs of the day are available to view on the Cobh Edition Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cobhedition