Be the best Enda Kenny you can be, and win yourself a prize at the Ballinrobe St Patrick’s Day parade - that is the message from the organisers of the 2011 event.
Ballinrobe’s St Patrick’s Day festivities have drawn huge crowds to the town in recent years, and this year’s event is set to follow the trend. Among the many novel prizes on offer on the day will be a cash prize for the best Enda Kenny impersonation.
“Young and old can enter the Enda Kenny impersonation competition. All it requires is some imagination on the part of entrants. We are expecting dozens of Enda Kennys to take to our streets,” said a spokesperson for Ballinrobe Community Development Committee, which is organising the festivities once again.
The parade will kick off on The Neale Road (Crann Mór Training Centre ) at 3.30pm. All floats and individual participants are asked to gather at Crann Mór.
“The parade will do one lap of the town, and conclude by passing the reviewing stand in Cornmarket. This will be followed by an afternoon of music, song, dance, street festivities and crack,” added the spokesperson.
This year’s parade will be led by members of the Lake District Youth Network, who are about to open their new youth centre in Ballinrobe. Queen of the Lakes Aisling McGovern will also take part on the day.
There will be prizes for Best Float, Best School, Float That Made Us Laugh, Best Enda Kenny Impersonation, Best Current Affairs, and Best Performance.
Street performers will add a touch of Mardi Gras to the festivities. Chloe Feeney, who has made a number of TV appearances, will be among the musicians and dancers entertaining the crowd in Cornmarket.
The annual art competition among the primary schools of the parish will also take place in the build-up to the festival. The winners will be announced on the day, and a selection of entries will be put on display in Lake District Youth Network and on the shop-window of sponsor Deirdre Biggins.
Entry in the parade takes place on the day.
