Thurles St. Patrick’s Day Programme Of Events

As we have already informed you, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2012, here in Thurles will take place on Sunday 18th March.
This year the programme of events are bigger and better than ever before. You don’t believe me, then read on my friends:-

Monday 12th to Monday 19th:- Prizes for best dressed window and for best traditional window.
Friday 8pm:- Ceili in Band Room (Organised by Thurles Set Dancing Club) music by ‘The Suirside Ceili Band.’

Sunday 18th March: Day of Parade

From 2:00pm in Liberty Square:- Free open air concert with Philip English & his band. Philip is one of the top Country and Irish singers in the country and anyone who feels like dancing to his music is welcome to do just that.

From 2:00pm to 5:00pm in Liberty Square:- Mobile Farm Unit (Under the Supervision of Agri-Aware)
From 2:00pm to 5:00pm in Liberty Square:- Professional Street Entertainers.
At 2.45pm Parade Commences, starting in Abbey Road offering this year a prize fund of over €3,000, to participants taking part.

Confirmed as taking part in this year’s Thurles St. Patrick’s Parade

A Viking re-enactment group.
Roman Army re-enactment group.
Seven marching bands.
Six Schools and their floats.
Numerous Vintage items.
Numerous Large Floats.
Local Sports Groups.
Walking Groups.
Commercial entries.

Of course St. Patrick’s Day in Thurles would not be complete without Dancing in The Premier Ballroom from 9:00pm to 12:00 midnight, (Organised by ‘The Club for Dancing,’) with music by ‘Checkers.’

Note: Large Floats participating in this event will receive up to €300 in a grant from the Thurles St. Patrick’s Day Committee. This grant of €300 is designed to help local community groups, sporting groups and schools etc. towards the cost of preparing a float for the parade and hopefully thus encourage even greater participation in this celebratory parade.

There will be presentation of prizes at 4:45pm in Liberty Square.

Note Also:

There will be a 50cents Bucket Collection from 3:00pm to 4:00pm on the day and helpers are needed with this collection. Everyone attending are asked to donate just 50cents, to defray the necessary expenses of hosting this enjoyable local event.
A number of Stewards are also needed to help out with traffic and crowd control, so please contact Tom Gleeson on Tel 087-9732837 if you would like to offer your assistance.
There is a League Match between Tipperary and Waterford at 2.30pm on the same day as this parade. Traffic should therefore avoid Abbey Road between 1.30pm and 4:00pm. No parking in Abbey Road or its car parks between those times and all are asked to assist policing in this matter.
Parking restrictions will be strictly in operation in Liberty Square from 11:00am until 5:00pm.
Traffic restrictions will be strictly in operation in Liberty Square from 2.30pm to 5:00pm.
Traffic going to the match via Holycross will be diverted to the old Sugar Factory road, i.e. Cabra Road, thus avoiding Abbey Road and the parade taking part.