Newcastle West's St Patrick's Day parade to march on

NEWCASTLE West is to have a St Patrick’s Day parade after all.

Spurred on by banner headlines in this week’s Limerick Leader and local media coverage, local businesswoman and chairwoman of the Newcastle West Business Association, Vicki O’Sullivan, seized the initiative in a bid to save the parade at the eleventh hour.

“The parade will go ahead at 3pm sharp on St Patrick’s Day,” Ms O’Sullivan confirmed to the Limerick Leader this Saturday.

The route of the parade had been confirmed and approved by An Garda Síochána on Friday evening, she added. 

The parade will begin at the Community Centre in the Demesne,  proceed down Church St, around the Square and along Bishop St. 

“I think it’s great,” Ms O’Sullivan continued, explaining that it was a chance to showcase the town and for the community to “get together.”

“Pulling it all together will be tough,” she acknowledged and appealed for the town’s scores of community, sporting and cultural organisations to get involved along with schools and businesses.

And she encouraged businesses to seize the opportunity to take part. 

“The hope is that everybody will come on board,” Ms O’Sullivan said. “In particular we would like to see lots of fun floats.” 

The 3pm start is crucial as it slots in between the parade in Askeaton and the one in Abbeyfeale. The Rathkeale parade is traditionally the first to begin in West Limerick.