Give credit, where credit is due! 

Independent committee making massive strides

forward for Paddy’s Day

By Derek Kiely

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INDEPENDENT is the key word when it comes to the Saint Patrick’s Day committee, who only formed a couple of weeks ago now are on the verge of hosting one of the best parades Midleton has ever seen.

The group formed in Joes Bar in Church Lane have taken the bull by the horns and without any Local Government support, they are now within days of creating something very special indeed.

“We have really worked hard over the last few weeks putting everything that we have in to this project and for the most part it must be said we have received fantastic support and let me make it very clear for everyone reading this article, we have done it all ourselves and we are a completely independent group without any grants or funding from any council or government agency. The committee that was formed a few weeks back includes Maura and Brian Ledwidge, Conny Ovesen, Tim O’Shea, Austin Bolger and Roy O’Keefe and myself and that is it,” said committee chairperson Tracey O’Mahony.

Ms O’Mahony added “I think that the traders and the other associations and clubs have been great in their support of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade and those people are really getting behind the committee because we are independent as a group, a brand new group with no political or personal agendas and the people that we have spoken to like the fact that we are new and most importantly independent. It takes quite a bit of organising to run a Saint Patrick’s Day parade, but it will be well worth it come March 17, and the committee wants to thank those people so far that have dug deep into their pockets and handed over money to support the parade, or provided floats or equipment it is deeply appreciated and we would like to thank the Gardai for their support too”. 

“The committee has put posters up all over Midleton and everyone who has read them by now will have been given a clear indication of what is to come. The whole weekend will now become the event, rather than just March 17, with street music starting on March 15 and with the support of the people in the community it should be a great weekend”.

Tracey O’Mahony concluded “The whole weekend will be brilliant and the amount of offers of help and support has been great and it just goes to show you that if you have a group of people who are dedicated and determined enough to get out there and make things happen they will succeed. People a few weeks ago thought the Saint Patrick’s Day parade was dead and buried, but they were wrong and I dare say some people out there thought that this committee might fall flat on its face and fail, but they were wrong too. We care about our town and we want Midleton achieving all that it can and with the support of everyone in the community we can achieve so much together and if it can to be done independently free of all the red tape, well all the better, but at the end of the day it’s the people who live or come into Midleton on March 15-17 that will be the winners and that is all this committee really care about”.