Large crowds pack Roscrea for sunny 42nd St. Patrick's Parade

ROSCREA'S St. Patrick's Day Parade was sorely missed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and made a rousing return last week in glorious sunshine.

The pageantry of dazzling colour and smiling faces brought back everything that is best about Roscrea after the town weathered two very difficult years of lockdowns and strict restrictions.

In recent years before the pandemic the Roscrea Parade struggled to draw large crowds and unluckily coincided with very inclement weather in 2018 and 2019. Many wondered if the event could ever return to the heyday of Roscrea Junior Chamber and large crowds lining Castle Street and Main Street.

However, those fears were allayed for this year's national holiday, as huge numbers of local families mingled with visitors from across the midlands and Parade participants from neighbouring towns brought Roscrea to life - creating an event described by the organisers as one of the most successful in years.

This year also saw the town's first Parade through it's redesigned Market Square, which gave space for the large crowd to gather en-masse in the heart of the town, with the review stand directly facing Castle Street and traffic flow controlled by the local Gardaí.

Local musician Eddie Simmons performed an excellent set from the review stand in balmy sunshine, before MC, John Lupton welcomed Grand Marshall, Paul Spencer leading the 42nd Parade through Roscrea; which was a showcase of musical, artistic and sporting talent, filled with humour and nostalgia.

See our full pictorial coverage of the Parade by photographer PJ Wright and the results in this week's edition of the Midland Tribune.