Eamon Ó Cuív calls for cancellation of St Patrick’s Day parades
By Oisín McGovern
Galway West TD Eamon Ó Cuív has called for all major St Patrick’s Day parades to be cancelled amidst the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
The Fianna Fáil backbencher said Ireland must follow other countries in taking “drastic action” to halt the spread of the virus.
Deputy Ó Cuív stated via Twitter:
“It seems strange that the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, and other major parades elsewhere in Ireland, would go ahead given the current [COVID-19] crisis.”
He said “bringing hundreds of thousands of people together for parades does not seem appropriate”, amidst the threat of COVID-19.
Deputy Ó Cuív also added that the Dublin St Patrick’s Day was cancelled in 2001 due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak.
He concluded in saying:
“Given the rapidly evolving situation we face, the need to protect our communities and health service, and the drastic actions being taken by other nations to limit and delay the spread of Coronavirus, cancelling major parades would, in my view, be proportionate and welcome.”
Former Dublin Lord Mayor Christy Burke has also demanded that the Parade be cancelled immediately.
To date, Ireland’s Six Nations meeting with Italy is the only major event to be cancelled or postponed to prevent the spread of the virus.
At the time of writing, there are 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland.
