St Patrick’s Festival first casualty of coronavirus in Galway

By Sharon Dolan D’Arcy

Galway City Council have confirmed that the St Patrick’s Festival has been cancelled due to concerns about coronavirus.

In a statement, Galway City Council said:

“Following the decision by Government at the emergency cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon regarding St. Patrick’s Day parades across the country, Galway city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will not now take place.”

In reaction to the announcement on Monday evening, organisers of the St. Patrick’s Festival in Galway commented:

“We are adhering to the guidelines set out as a result of the most recent risk assessment by the Government and HSE. We are disappointed but our absolute priority is the wellbeing of our participants, local communities and visitors.”

The festival was due to commence at 11.30am on 17 March with a parade starting on University Road and ending on Prospect Hill.

This was to be a significant festival for Galway with the city celebrating its designation as European Capital of Culture.

Several local and European acts such as Galway’s acrobatic group, Stuntworx Elite and the Bulgarian dance troupe, Sunflowers were lined up to perform at the festival.

It has not been confirmed if the event will take place once the public health risk of coronavirus is lowered.