Crowds flock to parades across county

Date Published: 17-Mar-2010

Tens of thousands of people turned out for the various parades around County Galway and savoured the spring sunshine in the process.

One of the biggest parades to be held was in Ballinasloe where there were over 100 floats – organisers say it was the largest ever to take place in the town.

In the aftermath of the severe damage done following the November flooding, it was as if the town wanted to prove a point that community spirit is stronger than ever, such was the interest in the parade.

It was something of a novel event in Mountbellew where around 30 floats participated in the town’s first ever parade.

The parade was organised by Moylough and Mountbellew Business Association and attracted some imaginative floats from a number of the neighbouring villages.

The theme was “Keep the Home Fires Burning” which was promoting the shop local initiative.

In Tuam, the biggest cheer was reserved for the Tuam All-Star Gymnastic Club whose appearance on the All-Ireland Talent Show brought them to a new audience.

There was a green theme to the parade in Headford yesterday with a float representing the proposed new eco park attracting a lot of attention.

The go ahead has been given for the construction of a new green based business park which will created more than 40 jobs when fully occupied.

Some 20 floats participated in the Clifden parade which attracted a large crowd including a lot of visitors to the area as the tourist season shows some signs of kicking off.

Loughrea’s streets were awash with green, white and gold as hundreds of people turned out in the sunshine to watch the annual parade, in celebration of the national feast day.

An estimated 6,000 people thronged the route of the Oranmore parade which is now in its seventh year and the theme this year was Back to the Future, which was focussed on beating the current recession.

The 450 strong juvenile soccer club had a huge imput into this theme as they depicted the past, present and the potential they have in the future.

See full report and three pages of photographs in this week’s Connacht Tribune.