LIVE: St Patrick's Day parade in this Tipperary town WILL NOT take place on March 17

It has been announced that the University of Missouri Marching Band will participate in the Tipperary Town St Patrick's Day Parade, which is being held this year on Saturday, March 16th at 11am.

The announcement was made by the St Patrick's Day Committee Chairperson John O'Heney and Secretary Paula Maher in an email to Chamber of Commerce members on Tuesday, February 20th, which was followed by a post on their social media platforms.

The news was not overly welcomed though as many questioned the reasons for the change from St Patrick's Day to the previous day for the parade, the timing of 11am and the lack of consultation with the Chamber members or the general public.

In response to numerous questions from the public the committee issued a notice on their Facebook page clarifying the reasons.

"Just to clarify why we have decided to move the St Patrick's Day Parade to the 16th of March. We were invited to collaborate with Tipperary County Council & The Revitalisation Committee as a huge marching band, the likes that has never been seen before in our County, are coming to Tipperary Town on the 16th.

"As a committee, we felt that this was an opportunity that could not be missed. There would not be the manpower or the volunteers to run both events consecutively.

"We also felt that this would be an excellent opportunity to bring people to the town centre on what is a normal shopping day & encourage people to visit some of our fantastic shops & services. We are inviting anyone who wants to get involved to please do so.

"There is an opportunity for all interested to have an active role in their community. While the St Patrick's Day Parade is traditionally held on the 17th, historically this has not always been the case, with the Parade having previously been held on a Saturday, which proved to be an immense hit for business owners in the town.

"There has also been occasions where there has been no Parade in the town due to either not having a committee or funding.

"A call out was put on this page & on local radio on numerous occasions last year and that was how the current committee was founded," concluded the statement.   

Some members of the Chamber of Commerce have questioned why the business community wasn't consulted on how they might contribute or benefit.

"Also on a weekend where St Patrick's Day lands on the Sunday of a Bank Holiday and we are kicking off at 11am the day before? Not sure this was thought out!" is the response of one member.

Another has asked if any consideration had been given to the fact that a lot of people won't be able to attend due to work commitments?

"For one example, over 200 people work in the Supermarkets away from the main street in Tipperary Town on any given day so they (and probably their families) will be unable to attend.

"Was the option of having this band perform in Tipperary on the Bank Holiday (18th March) an option if they couldn't be here on 17th?" is another response.

It seems that this visit by the Band was in the pipeline since January 2023 with a notice on their webpage from then stating that they are "pleased to announce that Marching Mizzou has earned an invitation to perform in the 2024 St. Patrick’s Festival Parade in Dublin, Ireland and Tipperary, Ireland".

It seems that the Band will arrive into Ireland on Friday March 15th and will firstly enjoy a panoramic tour of Dublin before a visit to EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.

On Saturday 16th the University of Missouri Marching Band, will march up the main street in Tipperary Town in the St. Patrick's Day Parade at 11am.

In the afternoon the Band will visit the Rock of Cashel.

On the 17th the Band will march in the Parade in Dublin.

The 18th will see the Band take a trip to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher and the 19th will be spent in Dublin with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse being part of the itinerary.

Their Irish visit will conclude when they depart from Dublin for Chicago on Wednesday 20th.