The team behind the St Patrick’s Day community parade in Armagh believes that because ABC Council have “regularly missed an opportunity” to add colour to the festival they will aim to rectify that issue next year.
While there was considerable debate on social media regarding the lack of street bunting in Armagh during The Home of Patrick Festival, the St Patrick’s Day Celebrations Committee says this was incorrectly attributed solely to the St Patrick’s Day Community Parade, whereas the issue, they say, “is actually reflective of the festival as a whole”.
The committee chairman, Stephen Fields, says the team made a request to the Council for bunting to be erected “but not specifically for the parade”.
“We feel that the whole festival deserves to be promoted and celebrated by the council to the best of its ability,” said Mr Fields.
“Bunting certainly is a very visible sign of a festival in any town, and we feel that Armagh Council has regularly missed this opportunity to add colour to the Home of Patrick Festival.
“This year we again made a request for bunting to be erected. Previously, council officials told us that the bunting purchased specifically for the Home of St Patrick’s Festival could not be found.
“However, this year, we were informed that bunting that predated the St Patrick’s bunting had been found, and efforts were being made to put this bunting up.
“We have several councillors on our committee who all worked diligently liaising with council officials on this issue, but the decision not to erect bunting lies with the council as a body and not with any individual councillor.”
While Mr Fields says the reasons given by the Council “varied”, the committee prefers “to look forward and not back”.
He added: “In previous years, we would have dressed the town with colour, particularly along the parade route. We hope to address the situation next year and dress up the town appropriately to acknowledge the national and internationally recognised cultural significance of St Patrick’s Day.
“The community held a very successful and colourful parade this year and we intend to build upon it. We are already preparing for next year, and among those preparations will be measures to dress up the town for St Patrick’s Day 2026.”
