St Patrick's Day parades will take place across the length and breadth of the country, as people come together to celebrate Irish culture, heritage and identity, while also honouring Ireland's patron saint.
Dublin
Up to half a million people are expected to line the streets of the capital today for the national St Patrick's day parade. Events and parades will be held around the country today to celebrate Lá Fhéile Pádraig.
The national parade will feature 12 large floats with over 150 artists and 3,000 participants involved.
The Rotunda Hospital will make its first-ever parade appearance with a special float to celebrate one of Dublin's most historic institutions.
Marching bands have travelled here from Scotland and the United States including from Ohio, Arizona, Illinois and Texas.
Cork city and county
'Marsh, myths and magic' is the theme of this year's Cork city St Patrick's Day parade - a reference to the city's origins and its Irish name "Corcaigh", a marsh or swampy place.
Organisers say it will be the city's biggest parade yet with over 3,600 participants including gigantic floats bringing 'herons' and 'frogs' and other 'bogland beasts' onto city streets.
Setting the pace will be this year's very popular Grand Marshals - 16 assistance dogs and their owners from the Irish Guide Dogs - the Cork based national charity celebrating its 50th year this year.
The parade gets under way at 1pm along the traditional route from Parnell Place/South Mall, up Grand Parade and along St Patrick Street past the viewing stand and finishing on Merchant Quay.
Among the participants will be several overseas bands including the McKinney High School Royal Pride Marching Band from Texas; the DC Everest Senior High Marching Band from Wisconsin; and BATALA, the international collection of Samba groups from the UK, France, Austria and America.
There will be plenty of spectacle as always provided by the floats created by local arts organisations Cork Community Art Link and Cork Puppetry Company, as well as national arts organisation Spraoi bringing the festival theme of 'Marsh, Myth and Magic' to life.
Cork's newest communities will also be well represented with music and dance from Cork's Nepalese, Indian, African, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian communities celebrating the national patron saint's holiday on Leeside.
Leading the parade will be The Band of 1 Southern Brigade, first posted as the Army No 2 Band to Cork in 1926.
There will be significant traffic diversion in place in the city centre between 6.30am and 5.30pm.
More than 40 parades are taking place in villages and towns across Cork.
Parades are taking place in Cobh, Youghal, Kanturk and Newmarket, as well as in Skibbereen, Bandon and Bantry.
While smaller parades will get under way in Ballingeary, Ballinagree, Carriganima, Coppeen, Whitegate and Glounthaune on Bere island... which takes place at 3pm.
North east
Monaghan Town
'Made in Monaghan’ is the theme for the St Patrick's Day parade in Monaghan this year, celebrating its people, culture, creativity and local pride.
This year the Grand Marshall is TikTok star and local businesswoman, Helen Drumm, of Sound Quality Monaghan, who will be taking her signature style and humour to the streets of the county town.
A total of 52 years running, the Monaghan Brass Band will be leading the parade, and will be joined along the route by the Aughnamullen Pipe Band and the Graham Memorial Clontibret Pipe Band.
There will also be plenty of fun before the parade begins on The Diamond, where Comhaltas Baile Mhuineacháin will be entertaining crowds with the help of local children.
There will also be performances from Monaghan Migrant Support Centre and Scoil Rince Ní Bhrógáin.
Local sporting organisations and clubs from the Special Olympics to Monaghan Harps GAA and Monaghan Town FC, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary, will also take part, along with Muineachán le Gaeilge, the Monaghan Lithuanian School and Scotstown Macra will also be taking part.
The Monaghan Ladies football team will be walking in the parade, along with their sponsor, local manufacturer, Combilift, who will be showcasing their 100,000th forklift.
And St Patrick himself will be in Monaghan too, chasing a 20-foot snake out of the town.
Dundalk, Co Louth
The pride of Dundalk, its football club, Dundalk FC, represented by players, will be the Grand Marshall of the town's parade this year.
The club was chosen for the honour to celebrate the club's 100th year in the League of Ireland.
The parade will be led by a colour party from the 27th Infantry Battalion based in Aiken Barracks and will be followed by the St Brigid's Pipe Band, Carlingford Pipe Band and Aughnamullen Pipe Band from Monaghan.
An explosion of colour and creativity is expected on the many floats who will embracing the ‘World of Imagination’ theme.
Organisers said the theme is designed to inspire innovation, encourage artistic expression and to highlight the extraordinary imagination within the Dundalk community.
Impressive floats are expected from the parade's main sponsor, Dundalk Credit Union, as well as the Brown Bull of Cooley Float, and of course, St Patrick.
Circus Vegas will also be bringing some theatre to the streets on the day.
Spectators will also get to enjoy performances from groups like Dance Kids as they make their way through the route.
Kells, Co Meath
Now running for more than 60 years, excitement is still bubbling up for the St Patrick's Day parade in Kells, Co Meath today.
Spectators and participants alike will be encouraged to blow bubbles throughout a sensory section of the parade.
People are asked to avoid making loud noises from Carrick Street to Lord Edward Street.
Those attending are encouraged to bring their own bubbles but there will also be some ready to be handed out.
Retired members of the Defence Forces will lead the parade, while the Kells Handball Club has been given the honour of Grand Marshall this year, to celebrate its contribution to the community.
Organisers said it has been an institution there for decades and has won multiple all Ireland and World Championship titles over the years.
The Navan Samba band will be bringing the beats to the town's streets, followed by an expected 20 floats.
Christmas will even be coming early, with the Nollaig float to celebrate the Kells Christmas Festival.
The overall theme is ‘Colour and celebrating Irish Culture’ and there will be prizes for the best club and business floats.
Cavan Town
St Patrick and Irish music is the main focus of the parade through Cavan town this year.
It will be led by a colour parade from members of the Defence Forces, followed by St Patrick.
The streets of Cavan will be filled with six bands from Cavan, Monaghan and Fermanagh, as well as 20 floats and around 50 walking groups.
Ones to watch out for will be the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí na hÉireann float, who will no doubt be fully embracing this year's theme.
Farnham Street in the town has been decorated to celebrate the event, which has been running for more than 45 years.
South east
Wexford Town
Thousands of people are gearing up to celebrate St Patrick’s Day at parades in cities, towns and villages across the south east of the country.
The Wexford Town parade is said to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, parade in the country and first dates back to 1904.
The organisers will be continuing the town’s long-running tradition this year with some 130 different groups taking part, including Wexford Girl Guides, who are celebrating 80 years since their foundation.
Also adding to the energy and spectacle of the Wexford Town parade this year will be five different bands, including the St Patrick’s Fife and Drum Band, the Arklow Pipe Band, the Bloco Garman Samba Band, the FCA Pipe Band and the New Ross Pipe Band.
As well as being one of the oldest, the Wexford Town parade is also one of the earliest to get under way today.
The parade will start at 10.30am from The Talbot Hotel, traveling along the quay to Redmond Square.
Waterford city
The Waterford parade this afternoon will mark the culmination of five days of festivities in the city.
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Waterford; Where St. Patrick’s Day Began,’ paying tribute to Luke Wadding, the local Franciscan friar, who listed 17 March as St Patrick’s Day on the liturgical calendar.
Over 2,000 participants from 60 different groups including community organisations, dancers and marching bands are expected to take part.
The organisers have said that Dr Morgan McMonagle, who received a Humanitarian and Community Award from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2025, has been named as the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade for his commitment and service to protecting the lives of others through his medical work in international conflict zones.
Dr McMonagle will be joined by the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Champions, Ballygunner as well as members of the county’s victorious All-Ireland Minor Hurling team.
The parade begins at Waterford Bus Station at 1pm and will proceed along the Quay, past the Clock Tower and the Plaza before moving around to The Mall.
Optimum viewing positions are said to be from the Quays with plenty of room also at The Mall.
The parade will end at the junction of The Mall and Parnell Street.
However, parade-goers are asked not to congregate in the Parnell Street area as this designated for post-parade and production staff.
Kilkenny city
The highlight of St Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny will be this afternoon’s grand parade that is set to get under way in the Marbel City from 1.30pm.
Members of numerous local groups as well as hundreds of performers, dancers, stilt walkers, puppeteers and jugglers are expected to wind their way through Kilkenny’s medieval streets.
The Grand Marshal of the parade is renowned local personality and livestock auctioneer, George Candler.
This year’s theme of ‘Together - Le Chéile’ aims to celebrate the power of community with the parade to shine a spotlight on a number of local organisations.
One of those is the Kilkenny based Young Irish Film Makers, who are celebrating 35 years in existence and will have some large props created by the group featured in the parade.
Cumann Gaelach Mhóin Choinn, an Irish language group from the south Kilkenny village of Mooncoin, will also feature and are asking people to use their cúpla focal for the day that is in it.
The festivities are taking place alongside Kilkenny Tradfest, a celebration of traditional Irish music that features over 100 well-known and emerging artists.
The Kilkenny parade will begin on John Street with the start line located around John’s Priory. It will then proceed over John’s Bridge (no spectators will be allowed to stand on the bridge), before taking a right onto Bateman Quay.
The parade will then head left up High Street before finishing up on Castle Road.
Carlow Town
‘A Place for Everyone’ is the theme of this year’s parade in Carlow Town.
The organisers have said they wish to highlight the values of inclusion, community and belonging this St Patrick’s Day.
The parade will be led by a group of United Nations veterans, who will make up the colour party and they will be followed by the Killeshin Pipe Band in keeping with the tradition of years gone by.
Floats to watch out for will include the one designed by Duckett’s Grove that features a garden made up of all native Irish plants and vegetation.
Carlow Educate Together has also designed a float centred around the theme of the traditional Irish proverb ‘mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí’, meaning praise the youth and it will flourish.
The parade will run alongside the town’s annual St Patrick’s Festival with events for all the family.
Those taking part in the parade are asked to gather from 2pm at the Pembroke Carlow with the parade moving off at 3pm.
Of course, the festivities in the south east are in no way just limited to the places.
Many other St Patrick’s Day parades will also take place across the region and indeed, the length and breadth of the country today as people come together to celebrate Irish culture, heritage and identity, while also honouring Ireland’s patron saint.
North west
The parade started at the local community centre, passed through the heart of Kinlough village and returned to the venue for an early St Patrick’s Day celebration.
People from the north Leitrim village, located near Lough Melvin and the Dartry Mountains traditionally travelled to nearby Bundoran, Ballyshannon and Manorhamilton to attend their St Patrick’s Day parades.
Carrick-on-Shannon
The Carrick-on-Shannon parade will begin at 1pm, with the theme 'Winning Teams' celebrating the town’s achievement in being named Ireland’s Tidiest Town.
The theme recognises the achievements of local sports clubs, schools, voluntary groups, businesses and the tidy towns team over the past year.
Kathleen and Padraig Coleman will be the guests of honour at the parade. Ms Coleman was instrumental in sparking local interest in the tidy towns initiative almost 45 years ago.
Elsewhere in Co Leitrim, Cloone will host its first-ever parade while other parades will take place in Aughavas, Fenagh, Keshcarrigan, Leitrim village, Drumshanbo, Dromahair, Ballinamore, Newtowngore, Manorhamilton and Drumkeerin.
Sligo Town
In Sligo town, the St Patrick’s Day parade begins at 12pm, with the theme 'Legends Live Here' celebrating the imagination, community spirit and pride of the town’s past, present and future legends.
Local hero and European Surf Champion Gearóid McDaid will join children in an action-packed jet ski-towing float.
One of the parade’s highlights will be a 40-foot truck featuring Bram Stoker, celebrating the legendary creator of Dracula and his strong ties to the north west.
Another 40-foot float will be joined by 60 to 80 walkers from St Mary’s GAA, celebrating 50 years as a club.
A Sunday Cycle Club display of five to 15 trikes, ridden by children and adults, will celebrate accessibility in sport and recreation as part of the parade.
The parade will also celebrate Sligo’s cultural and entertainment legends, including a pickup truck carrying performers paying tribute to Sligo-born actor Pauline McGlynn, famed for her role as Mrs Doyle in Father Ted.
The next generation of community leaders will also take centre stage, as 30 youth scouts in imaginative costumes will celebrate Sligo Legends of the Future.
Additional floats will feature jeeps pulling trailers, a dragon boat, train carriages, minibuses and vibrant groups of performers entertaining the crowds.
Some of the other St Patrick’s Day parades in Co Sligo will take place in Enniscrone, Grange, Easkey, Ballymote, Aclare and Gurteen.
Letterkenny
Honorary gardaí from the Little Blue Heroes Foundation will lead the 3pm Letterkenny parade in Co Donegal.
The charity, run by volunteers including current and former gardaí, supports families of children with serious illnesses while creating joyful experiences for its young members.
The Letterkenny celebration returns after a two-year break, with a tribute to local lollipop man Anthony Gallagher, who was killed in a St Patrick’s Day morning collision last year, to follow the parade.
The Cathedral Town parade will showcase local schools, clubs and performers, including the Letterkenny Pipe Band, Little Angels School, Shotake Karate Club, Pinehill Studios, Letterkenny CDP and St Eugene’s Parish.
Some of the other St Patrick’s Day parades across Donegal will take place in Creeslough, Cill Chartha, Dunfanaghy, Ballyshannon, Moville, Killybegs, Donegal town, Gleann Cholm Cille and Bundoran.
This year’s Boyle parade in Co Roscommon will feature the theme 'Hot Air Balloons', celebrating the return of Irish hot air ballooning to Lough Key last year
The parade’s Grand Masters will be Paul and Maureen Forde, who ran Boyle Post Office until its closure in January before it moved to a new location.
Music Generation will kick off the event with traditional music before the parade, followed by a concert after-party showcasing the musical talent of local primary and secondary students.
Some of the other parades across Roscommon will take place in Athleague, Ballaghderreen, Cloonfad, Ballintubber and Elphin.
Additional reporting by Dyane Connor and Shane Ó Curraighín, Jennie O'Sullivan
