St Patrick’s Day is right around the corner with a number of local parades set to captivate towns and villages throughout Laois.
Rathdowney have chosen to hold their parade a day early on Sunday, March 16, with Leinster camogie champions St Brigid’s as the Grand Marshals.
The parade kicks off at 12pm from St Fergal’s College and will be part of the town’s family fun festival from 11am to 2pm.
2025 marks the long-awaited return of the Mountmellick parade which has been shelved since 2022 and will make up part of the Boglands Festival.
In the absence of their own parade, Mountmellick people have flocked to nearby Rosenallis and Clonaslee to celebrate our National Holiday and both parades will return for 2025, with Clonaslee beginning at 12pm followed by Rosenallis at 3.30pm – the final parade of the day.
This year’s Portlaoise parade will be part of a larger street festival with festivities getting underway at 12.30pm.
There will be street entertainment, live music, food and craft stalls, carnival rides and much more.
The parade in Portarlington will be a walking-only parade and the theme is snakes.
It will pass along Main Street at 3pm, going from the Bank of Ireland around to the People’s Park.
For those looking to start the day early, The Heath will continue their tradition started last year of a breakfast parade, starting from the GAA clubhouse at 8.45am to arrive at the church at 9.30am.
The Vicarstown parade will also set off at 9am while Killeshin are getting a good run at the day as well, starting their parade at 9.30am.
Ballyroan get their celebrations underway at 10am, as will Timahoe where the parade will set off from the community hall.
The parade in Spink will take off from the Church car park not long after at 10.15am, with refreshments in the hall afterwards.
Assembly in Graiguecullen is at 10.30am with the parade making its way through the town from 11am, which is also the start time in Stradbally.
The Mountrath parade sets off from the town’s GAA grounds at 12pm with live music and entertainment in the square.
The full schedule of St Patrick’s Day parades is as follows:
- Rathdowney – 12pm (March 16)
- The Heath – 8.45am
- Vicarstown – 9am
- Killeshin – 9.30am
- Ballyroan – 10am
- Timahoe – 10am
- Spink – 10.15am
- Graiguecullen – 11am
- Stradbally – 11am
- Clonaslee – 12pm
- Mountrath – 12pm
- Portlaoise – 12.30pm
- Mountmellick – 2pm
- Portarlington – 3pm
- Rosenallis – 3.30pm
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