St Patrick's Day is ready to rock once again in Tipperary's largest town

The countdown is on for tomorrow’s St Patrick’s Day events in Clonmel, the first to be held in three years, and which promise to be a very special celebration of the national holiday.
The events will commence with a flag-raising ceremony at St Patrick’s Well at 8am. 
That will be followed by the morning parade, which leaves Mitchel Street  at 11.30am for St Mary’s Church Mass at 12 noon, which will be celebrated in Irish.
This parade, which will be led by Banna Chluain Meala, will include the St Patrick’s Day grand marshal Danny Carroll, councillors and dignitaries.
The starting area for the main St Patrick’s Day Parade, which commences at 3pm, is Irishtown and it will follow the same route through the town centre as in previous years to finish in Parnell Street outside the  Town Hall.
More than 30 groups and organisations will take part. 
The prize for the best parade entry is €500, the second prize is €300 and the third prize €200.
Many shops have got into the spirit of the festival by organising themed window displays and there will be prizes for the best three windows.
Grand marshal Danny Carroll has been synonymous with Banna Chluain Meala for more than 50 years, having been a founder member of the band in 1971, and has been involved with many other musical projects in the town and county.
Also known as Clonmel’s Mr Music Man, he was Banna Chluain Meala’s musical director for 30 years and is currently assistant musical director. 
He has worked with numerous musical societies in Tipperary including St Mary’s Choral Society in Clonmel as well as in Thurles, Tipperary, Carrick-on-Suir, Nenagh and Dundrum.
He is also involved with such diverse musical activities as the Tipperary Millennium Orchestra, the Premier Swing Band and the Clonmel Concert Band.
He is a six-time winner of the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) Best Musical Director Award, including winning the award three years in-a-row with Rock Nativity (1987: St Mary’s Choral Society, Clonmel); Fiddler on the Roof (1988: Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society) and Man of La Mancha (1989: St Mary’s Choral Society, Clonmel).
Danny Carroll has also won the Best Musical Director Award at the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera on two occasions with Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society. 

All you need to know about food, flavours, taste and how to tickle those taste buds

Laurann O'Reilly writing in this week's Nationalist