St Patrick’s Day parades 2026: How every corner of Ireland turned green
Kinlough in north Co Leitrim was home to Ireland’s earliest St Patrick’s Day parade which kicked off at midnight.Despite the late hour, huge crowd of local people and many others who traveled from other parts of Co Leitrim turned out for what was the village’s first parade, with plans already in place to make it an annual tradition.Former president Micheal D Higgins was a guest of honour for the St Patrick’s Day parade in Galway City, which took place as part of four day celebration.The theme of the parade, marching from University of Galway and concluding on Prospect Hill, was Legends and Rising Stars, which was also a tribute to Mr Higgins.There were many dogs walking down the streets of Cork City today, as grand marshals for this year’s parade in the Rebel City were Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, who celebrate their 50th anniversary.With the theme of “Marsh, Myth and Magic”, the parade run from South Mall to Merchant’s Quay.Meanwhile, in other parts of Co Cork, children brought the miniature cars, bikes and tractors for the parade in Carriganima.Led by Millstreet Pipe Band, the parade saw large numbers lining up the streets in the sunshine.In Mallow, the Irish boccia player, Jack Cronin, who won gold in the pair’s competition of the Sydney Paralympics in 2000, led the parade in his native town as grand marshal.The Kingdom county continued to celebrate the historic win of Killarney native and Academy Award-winning actress Jessie Buckley with a special tribute.Following her Oscar win earlier this week, Killarney parade honoured her with a special installation titled “Kerrywood: From Killarney to Hollywood”.The float was dedicated to Buckley and two other Killarney natives and Hollywood stars, actor Micheal Fassbender and Grammy winner Ruairí O’Flaherty.Approximately 1,500 people took part in the parade, with up to 60,000 spectators lining the streets of the Kerry town.The rainbow appeared in the sky as the parade in Tralee in Co Kerry kicked off, led by the parade’s grand marshal and chair of Tralee Tidy Towns, Brendan O’Brien.The event, themed “Tralee Shining Bright”, saw two Irish wolfhounds being walked along the route and celebrated accomplishments of Ballymacelligott GAA and local groups such as Tralee Tidy Towns.Ireland’s oldest man, Paddy Claffey, who will turn 105 years old in April, cut the ribbon and led the parade in Clara, Co Offaly, accompanied by his family.There were around 60 floats participating in the local parade, which also saw the concert of céilí music from the James Kinsella céilí band, along with singers and dancers.Meanwhile, in the northwest, the heavy rain in parts of Co Donegal did not dampen the cheerful spirits of thousands spectators who turned out for St Patrick’s parade in Letterkenny.One of the biggest in the county, the parade saw dozens of floats, dancers, vintage cars, horse carriages and bands making their way through the Main Street.Spectators from all over the country watched as Donegal Little Blue Heroes took the lead as grand marshals.Ava Crean, who became the youngest Irish National Women's Marathon Champion at just 19 years old, was the grand marshal for the parade in Limerick City, which celebrated its local herous under the “Legends of Limerick” theme.Around 70,000 lined up the streets of the city and watched as more than 60 parade entries involving thousands of participants made their way through the street from O’Connell Street to Arthur’s Quay Park.The celebrations included the aerial displays of Fidget Feet and performances from the Irish National Clown Orchestra of Ireland.In Co Louth, Drogheda Panto Society led the way as grand marshals in their town’s parade, which also saw local sports clubs, dance troupes and community groups taking part in the celebration.Meanwhile, crowds lined the streets in Dundalk as grand marshals Dundalk FC took centre stage during the parade.The Dundalk celebration also included Carlingford Pipe Band and local emergency services groups, who earned a warm applause as they passed.Greystones and Rathdrum were the first parade to hit the roads in Co Wicklow today, followed by Aughrim and Baltinglass.Crowds also gathered early for the main parades in Arklow, Blessington, Bray and Wicklow town.In Aughrim, retired teacher and long‑time volunteer Annette Keating was honoured as a grand marshal, which recognised her decades of service to local education and community groups.Parades in Wicklow saw dance schools, emergency service volunteers, Tidy Towns groups, bands and sports clubs joining the celebration of the parton saint day.
