Plans to change date of St Patrick's Day parade in Tipperary slammed as ‘anti-business’
Plans for a St Patrick’s Day parade in one town in Tipperary have been described as “anti-business and anti-family”.
The organising committee for St Patrick’s Day in Cashel have decided to move the parade in the town to an evening time slot rather than an afternoon one, as well as holding the parade on a Saturday, rather than St Patrick’s Day itself, and to start the parade from a new location, not St Patrick’s Rock, which has traditionally been used.
The committee confirmed that this year’s parade will be held on Saturday, March 14, with festivities getting underway at the Plaza in the town from 2pm. The parade itself will kick off at 4.30pm.
Under the new plans, the parade will now start from Dura Beds on the Cahir Road, not St Patrick’s Rock as had traditionally been the case.
However, this proposal hasn’t gone down well locally, with Cashel Chamber of Commerce saying that the plans are “anti-business,” and would not help to support businesses in Cashel town.
"After speaking directly with schools and local clubs, the following concerns have been raised,” the Chamber said.
"Schools have stated a clear preference for the parade to take place on St Patrick’s Day [as] the majority of participating children are under the age of 10. St Patrick’s Rock provides a safe, controlled environment for children,” the Chamber said in a statement.
"A Saturday evening parade raises child safety concerns, particularly in low-light conditions. Families, older residents, and community groups are less able to attend an evening parade,” they said.
Adding that the day should be about attracting people into the town, the Chamber said that a Saturday evening parade may not be the best way to do this.
“St Patrick’s Day should be about welcoming people into Cashel, not encouraging them to leave,” they added.
“Taken together, these proposals are anti-family, anti-business, and anti-Cashel town,” they hit out.
"The Chamber has raised these concerns directly with members of the Parade Committee, including the chair. Unfortunately, they have not been reflected in the current proposal.
“Cashel deserves decisions made with the community, not for it,” they added.
Local independent councillor Liam Browne agreed with the Chamber of Commerce, saying that a Saturday evening parade wouldn’t be his preference.
“I’m loath to criticise anybody, because I know how hard it is to get people to volunteer their time to do anything, so I’d always wish the best, but I think there should have been more engagement with it, especially with the Chamber,” he said.
"An evening parade in Cashel is, in my mind, going to create some lost opportunities for businesses in Cashel,” he told the Irish Independent.
“They have said that they’ll put on some entertainment before the parade, but my question would be is that the kids who are going to be going to the entertainment are the very same ones who would be in the parade, and therefore they wouldn’t have much time to prepare, so I’m not sure how well supported the music on the Plaza will be.”
Cllr Browne said that a better compromise would be to have the parade on a Sunday afternoon, which would be a more family friendly time.
"Sunday afternoon is a lot more child friendly, it’s a lot more people friendly in my opinion,” he said.
"On Saturday afternoon, people have said they’ll be watching the Ireland rugby match at 2pm, a lot of kids are still playing outdoor activities like soccer games, or rugby on Saturday afternoons as well,” Cllr Browne added.
"There is still time to have more engagement with people, we’ve organised parades in less time in the past. Maybe I’m wrong and I don’t want to criticise anybody, but there’s a feeling that the decision was made by a very small number of people,” Cllr Browne said.
In confirming the parade date, the Cashel St Patrick's Day Committee said they were “disappointed” with the comments made by the chamber.
"As a community group, we acknowledge the recent commentary, and we were disappointed by the premature statements from the Cashel Chamber of Commerce.
"We are looking forward to moving forward together as a community to ensure celebrations are enjoyed in Cashel,” the committee said.
"Based on ongoing feedback from marching groups and other stakeholders, the parade route will change for 2026,” they said.
The theme of this year’s parade will be radio-active, celebrating 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland. The parade will be dedicated to the late Wally Ryan, who was the treasurer of the committee for many years. She passed away on January 28, 2026.
As a mark of respect, a new Wally Ryan Perpetual Trophy is being introduced this year, which will be given to the first place winner of the parade.