Excitement Building For This Year's Ennis St. Patrick's Day Parade

0:00Saint Patrick's Day celebrations are just around the corner and Ennis and the excitement is building for this year's parade and joined by Ennis Native and internationally acclaimed artist Mico D on the line who will be serving the privilege role as Grand Marshal and also at the Mayor of Ennis and the Ennis Finnegal Cancer Mary Howard do it as well. They're here to share what's in store for parade goers, the theme of the festival and how the town is gearing up for a day of creativity, music and community spirit and you're both very welcome to the program and first Mary the parade itself, obviously highlight of the county calendar, what can attendees expect this year? Well we've our biggest amount of floats in a long time, we've 50 currently, that could change, we're going to want or two more, but there's 50 currently which is going to be quite a spectacle in itself, our own column from here in Clairefheim is the MC on the day before the parade begins. No, I'm better available, huh? Oh, you prefer to? No. Having me over CV and I've sent us in afterwards, but Column has built up a lot of brownie points

1:02now, he's very good at the job. No, no, he's got to what he does. So then before the parade begins, we have entertainment from the Shannon gospel choir would be in the Abbey Street car park and killed us, we'd be playing at these terraces that must be face painters in Abbey Street car park for these smallies. With the route itself, it starts bang on 11 from Aruscundtianclaw in the new road and it travels on to new road, on towards Steele's Terrace, where it'll turn left, on to new bridge road and proceed along by the river towards the club bridge, the parade then will turn left onto the club bridge and right into the Abbey Street car park, where the reviewing stand will be and so that they, you know, I suppose that's where the crowd usually gathers this, but normally very big crowd in Abbey Street. And then once the parade is passed by the reviewing stand, it'll proceed up towards bang place, turning right and proceeding to Binden Street, and then at the top of Binden Street, floats and vehicles can turn left from Binden Street and proceed towards the

2:05may, may to Verne, where the disband and walkers can proceed to the Column, where the car park and that's where the parade concludes. Now also to be aware that there are prizes available on the day. The most creative float, there's 400 euro price fund there, the best interpretation of the theme and the theme is Ennis Wicket for Good, it's 400 euros and the most entertaining entrance or entrance, it's 400 euros. So and I think a huge credit goes to the Stafford NSMD, Civil Defence Guard, the Shia Kona, who put all of this together. So it's, you know, it's, it's a really community effort to put, and in Verne's last year we had 20 other parades in the county. So it's great to communities being very proactive and running and organizing support in their own local parade, but this is here in the county town and it should be a great day. Yeah, tends to be and I'm sure this year will be no different and Mary described the route there, Mick, and it's one you're going to be, I'm sure you're familiar with it already,

3:07but you're going to be very, very familiar with it soon because you've been named Grant Marshall for this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade and Ennis and congratulations on that. How does it feel to be, you're going to be leading the festivities in your hometown? Amazing, really unexpected, totally honored and it sounds from what Mary has been saying and from what I've been hearing, it's just going to be an amazing day. For yourself, I mean, you must have attended quite a number of St. Patrick's Day parades in Ennis and I'm sure you never thought you'd be viewing it from a different perspective and vantage point. No, certainly not. I saw my earliest memories are looking out the window of the house which we had beside the Procathedral and to see the local FCA line up and the Shamrock being put on their chests by the Bishop and also George Maloney who was a teacher in the National School

4:12and also a painter giving at the head of the FCA, so that there's some of my early memories of the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Of course, places which quite are back then, the bars were chose as far as I know on St. Patrick's. I want to say, no, good Friday, but it was a quite enough day, but no, great memories for sure. You mentioned the theme, Mary, Ennis, wicked for good, tell us more about that. I'm sure connected to the big, I was going to say film, films, it was a sequel, wasn't it? It's a film, it's a theatre production, it is absolutely huge amongst the young people and adults, so the theme is then a spiket for good. So wicked, it's your up to your own interpretation, wicked can be a negative or like say someone said to you, how was that site, what was wicked? That's a really good interpretation of the night. So even like a few groups have been on to me and they're working out their own interpretations for their floats and stuff.

5:13So it really is that it's, I suppose, a nod to that and to the witches and a, you know, it's really open, it's very broad the interpretation on us. Say like Ennis, tidy town, we could be gone, wicked for good could be removing graffiti, we could be planting, we could be litter picking, that's wicked for good. Or if you see a lot of litter on the ground, you might say whoever did that as wicked. Exactly. So wicked is one of those words can be positive and can be negative at the same time. What about yourself, make a, what sense of the many meanings of wicked would you describe yourself? Oh God. I suppose, try to keep within the boundaries when you've got a bit of humor, you're trying not to be too wicked for the, I guess I would have saw a bit of, obviously it was usually with humor, something lighter than maybe what it was meant to mean, but crack, a bit of latitudes, possibilities, and as I was saying, like a wicked

6:14event or a wicked show, but it seems to me that I always associate with a tinge of humor. Yeah, Mary, what does it mean to have Mick as the grand marshal this year? I mean, such a celebrated, contemporary artist known internationally. Um, I wasted a long time to become Mary Venice and the back of my head, I had thought about my grand marshal and I have, I know Mick for many years, I knew he's late, lovely brother John. And I always thought he stays under the radar, I suppose locally and, um, you know, I just thought, God, he'd be the ideal person because Mick is incredibly mild, I wouldn't call him wicked. He's incredibly mild and quiet and calm and chilled, um, but when I formed him to ask him what he'd do me the honor, he was absolutely delighted to say yes, um, so he's a really proud Ennisman and Claremann and he always flies the flag for the county. And I just thought it was incredibly appropriate that, um, and I was delighted that he was happy

7:16to do it. Yeah, and with your, your career as, as an artist, Mick, and given what you're going to be partaking in, uh, uh, on St. Patrick's Day, do you, do you see any connection between the creativity in your art and that creativity and an imaginative spirit that you would see in the NS St. Patrick's Day parade? Yeah, I do, you know, because it's about celebrating, uh, ourselves celebrating people, um, forefronting people as well, that, uh, and creativity as opposed to destruction, there's plenty of that, uh, uh, around us at the moment. So, yeah, no, there, there's, there's no difference. And I mean, uh, people, ordinary people are, everyone is creative in the wrong way. We just often don't give credit to people's creativity, usually is something that's associated with musicians, with artists, with actors. But, you know, the creative way you just go about your job, the creative way you, uh, interpret

8:17life and how things that are, that come at you, which is a case of, um, you know, have full rather than have empty, there's all sorts of ways of interpreting and of making things interesting. And I do, I do, I see it as a seamless, uh, thing that the way you live your life, the way you can kind of celebrate community activities, the way we celebrate each other and show ourselves to each other in the same way that maybe an artist shows their work that they do to an audience. And in some way, they're trying to reflect to that audience, something of themselves and vice versa, that, that it's all, um, it's all intertwined as far as I'm concerned. Yeah. And also, I'm delighted to be part of it. I'm totally honored that Mary asked me. And, you know, they, they, I, I come on the, the footsteps of other people like Black E. O'Connell, who was there last year, more of Finn, more O'Connell, uh, and it's wonderful the way the town of Venice, uh, celebrates creativity, uh, by asking people who are involved

9:20in the creative arts to be, uh, part of the, of the parade to be grand marshals, uh, as well as people from other walks of life. Yeah. And speaking of other walks of life, Mary, it says a lot about the talent that's in and is that, you know, make us in art, creativity with music, with Black E, you know, held with more of Finn. There's a lot, a lot of very talented people and a lot, working a lot of different spheres, um, in and as you're, you're never short from year to year of great options for grand marshals. Not at all. We are really honored with the people, you know, I suppose maybe we've high expectations of ourselves, but we can see the achievements of those amongst us, um, and that they're acknowledged. And I think probably the hardest crowd to please is your own, where you come from. And I think, um, for me, I loved mixed reaction when I spoke to him first, that, you know, to be recognized by your own, by the people you grew up with, by the people that, that's surrounded you as your own person. That really is very important. But we do, we are absolutely spoiled for choice as regards super talented people here around

10:24us. Yeah. But what you look, you really have a personal touch or message to your role or will you be wearing anything unique or will you, will you keep it relatively low key, maybe, maybe wear a, you know, a green hat or something? Well, um, I'll try and avoid having anything synthetic. I've bought a good, uh, Doney Gold Tweet tie. I have a Doney Gold, uh, so everything that I wear will be, um, manufactured in Ireland, probably with the exception of my footwear, but also the socks that I wear. So I'll try and keep it, um, I'll try and keep it low enough key, but I'll try and, uh, wear our clothes, uh, manufactured and fabricated here. So that'll be one of the things. And just, I think it's really a case of, um, enjoying the spectacles, um, having my eyes opened to the diversity of, of people, uh, of floats, of, um, impulse.

11:26Uh, and I'm really looking forward to having, um, uh, kind of a front row seat to see, uh, the town of Venice, uh, present itself to itself in 2026, uh, it's a long way from when I might have been looking at the parade in 1966 or 1976, so it's, for me, it'll be absolutely fascinating to take in what town of Venice is today and the various activities and the community contributions in the form of floats and, uh, I'm really looking forward to that strike, uh, having a, uh, a ticket, a front row ticket at the All Ireland final. Yeah, really is you, you'll have the front row seat for proceedings, Mary, is there anything else that, uh, the good people listening this morning need to be aware of, uh, head of the NSA and Patrick's Day parade? Well, I suppose, come in early and get parking early. If you're coming in from out of town, there will be no parking available, uh, available stars. Couldn't be on car, our Abbey Street, obviously, but there are plenty of other, uh, car parks around the town, um, what I love actually is when I come in in the morning is that you

12:29could see them walking in the Lange Road from quite early. So I love to see that the families will walk in together to watch the parade. There will be, you know, the parade will be the spectacle, of course, that we are focused on today, but there will be lots of music in town. It's a time to go and, you know, there will be music sessions, there will be lots of entertainment in the town. So hang around the town for a little while, um, you know, have your lunch, hang out with the family and, you know, please guard the weather guards with spinos, we won't be a day like today. You've talked the words right out of my mouth. If, if there's a guard up there, listen to Mary Howard and give us a dry day, I can be a bit of a terrier, God, because I can only, in the last 17 years, I can only recall as far as I can remember one wet day and it was very wet and windy and it was absolutely miserable and we actually, the review stand up in front of the cathedral and it was just a terrible day. But every other day, it was really mild and bright and an offer to people after the parade went to the hinge, that's how lovely it was.

13:30So please, God, it could be nice. Yeah, Mick, you told us what you're going to be wearing. It might be no harm to have some sort of dunny-gull jacket as well, raincoat, which is well, just as hundreds beyond the safe side. Yeah, yeah. I remember once my brother just looking out at the weather from behind the counter, because so is aspirated, it's such a bloody rain in Spain falls mainly in Ireland. Hopefully we can avoid that and this year as well, you know, we can avoid it for the impact of the pandemic. Hopefully so, well, look, regardless of what the weather is going to be, it's going to be a fantastic occasion anyway. My thanks to the fantastic contemporary artist and grand marshal for this year's NSN Patrick's Day Parade Mico D and the Mayor of NS, Mary Howard, Mary, thank you very much.