Big plans for St. Patrick's Day parade in Moate

Preparations for the 2024 St Patrick's Day parade in Moate are currently "in full swing", according to the organising committee who have confirmed the appearance of a third marching band at the event on Sunday, March 17.

The parade made a welcome return to the streets of Moate last year for the first time since 2019, when the sun shone down as the Mullingar Town Band led almost 50 floats through the town for an unforgettable day of celebration.

The new organising committee is planning an even bigger and better parade this year, with Athlone Town Pipe Band and Clara Town Band already booked for a number of months, and confirmation this week that Mullingar Town Band - Celtic Crusaders - are to make a welcome return to Moate again this year.

Committee Chairman Stuart Clifford admitted that they had started 2024 "with no band at all" so they were delighted to be able to secure the services of no less than three top-class bands from across the Midlands to lead out this year's St Patrick's Day parade in Moate.

"It's not easy to secure the services of a band on one of the most popular days of the years, as the few marching bands available locally are generally pre-booked to the same towns year after year," explained Stuart Clifford, "but when both Athlone and Clara Town Bands heard of our difficulties in securing a band they re-arranged their schedules and came to our rescue."

Only this week the two bands were joined by the very popular Mullingar Town Band, Celtic Crusaders, who will also make a very welcome return to Moate on March 17 next.

With three marching bands and almost 60 floats booked so far, Moate's parade is set to be one of the biggest in the Midlands.

The parade in Moate gets underway on Sunday, March 17 next at 1.30pm.