Galway embraces the sea as sun draws crowds to the streets

Date Published: 19-Mar-2009

THE absence of floats in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in the city certainly didn’t take away from the razzmatazz of the hour long colourful event, brightened by warm sunlight.
This year’s theme was a celebration of the sea in anticipation of the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race
stopover.
Renmore showed its community strength with residents of all ages almost dominating the parade from the Renmore Senior School girls showing their cheerleading skills to the Active Retirement group dressing up as holidaymakers and promoting the Ballyloughane Beach Resort.
Then there was the Liam Mellowes Hurling Club pushing a giant sliotar down Shop Street, defying the no float rule and providing a bit of imagery.
Others who soared above the spectators, estimated to be about 20,000, were the Galway RNLI with their rescue dingy, the Cladonian Mariner Club with two sailing boats on trailers and an undistinguishable group who had a humorous take on rescue services and who looked like something out of a comic version of Mad Max.