Organisers of the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin are furious with the Department of Transport over its refusal to take down overhead LUAS cables that cross O'Connell Street.
They say it is the department's national duty to remove the lines for the celebration.
Last year parade floats reached heights of almost 12 metres but this year they need to be half that in order to safely pass under the LUAS cables running along Abbey Street.
Pageant companies have been forced to make adjustments to their floats following the refusal by LUAS to take down the cables. They say this impacts on the scale and spectacle of the parade.
The festival's Chief Executive, Donal Shiels, says all Dublin transport agencies have facilitated the parade over the past 75 years, and he understands that it would take no more than five hours to take down the LUAS cables.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport says power will be turned off in the overhead cables for the duration of the parade.
The department says organisers were told in 2003 that the cables could not be removed as it would cause major disruption and have safety implications for the service.
