http___www.stpatricksfestival.ie_GA_2.xml
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St. Patrick Arrives in Style! Patron Saint Pit-stops in Dublin’s Grand Canal Plaza 13th March 2014: St. Patrick made his eagerly anticipated arrival in Ireland this morning, pit-stopping in Dublin’s Grand Canal Plaza as he gears up for this year’s four-day St. Patrick’s Festival progamme of events running from 14th-17th March. The Patron Saint of Ireland arrived in style in a MINI convertible and was joined by two ‘City Fusion’ Festival characters that will be part of Monday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Susan Kirby, St. Patrick’s Festival CEO commented; “St. Patrick’s arrival always brings a great sense of excitement ahead of the Festival and we are delighted he has once again arrived safely and on time! I am delighted that MINI Ireland is on board as the Official Car of this year’s Festival and it is great to see St. Patrick arrive in such style. Once again we are excited about delivering an action-packed four-day Festival culminating in a spectacular Parade on Monday.” Using the current commemorative era as inspiration, St. Patrick’s Festival has created a three-year thematic journey of ‘Past, Present and Future’ over the period 2014, 2015 and 2016. The 2014 Festival Parade theme, ‘Let’s Make History’, draws on the ‘Past’ and is the first step on this exciting, creative journey. 2015 will explore our present and 2016 will look to the future where the Festival will pose the question, ‘who do we aspire to be in the next 100 years?’ With a live audience on the streets of Dublin of over half a million people, Ireland’s leading pageant companies will animate their interpretations of the ‘Let’s Make History’ Parade theme this year. The three kilometre route will be filled with characters and creations from Irish artistic groups including Buí Bolg, Spraoi, Brighter Futures, Artastic, City Fusion, Inishowen Carnival Group, Macnas and Dowtcha. The Parade will also feature a tri-colour of new MINI Hatch cars in green, white and orange to celebrate their partnership with the Festival this year. Kevin Hennebry MINI Ireland Manager commented; “I am very proud to see the new MINI Hatch line-out in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade as the Official Car of the Festival. The MINI Hatch arrived on Irish shores last week and we have already had a great response from Irish drivers. We are delighted to see St. Patrick arrive in a MINI today and we look forward to watching the new MINI take centre stage on this special day.” St. Patrick’s Festival will get underway tomorrow (Friday 14th March) with the Festival Céilí and will be followed by other headline events such as Festival Treasure Hunt, Céilí House Live in Concert and Festival Big Day Out. The Festival’s cultural programme ‘I Love My City’ returns to the Festival itinerary this year with a series of inspiring, cultural events and happenings taking place in some of the city’s most beautiful surroundings. Sixteen eclectic events featuring artists and talents from a variety of disciplines including literature, music, film, song, spoken word, photography, visual art and more will be presented. For more information visit www.stpatricksfestival.ie, download the app, or join the Festival’s official Facebook and Twitter pages. ENDS For further information, please contact: Kevin Moore, FleishmanHillard on 01 6188499 / 0868252611 or Kevin.moore@fleishmaneurope.com Maria McGrath, FleishmanHillard, on 01 6188420 / 0861653055 or maria.mcgrath@fleishmaneurope.com NOTES FOR THE EDITOR: About St. Patrick’s Festival St. Patrick’s Festival Principal Funders are: The Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council and The Department of Arts, Heritage & The Gaeltacht. The principal aim of St. Patrick’s Festival, since its inauguration, is to develop a major annual international festival around the national holiday over which the Irish people would stand proud. It sets out to reflect the talents and achievements of Irish people on many national and world stages, and it acts as an exciting showcase for the manifold skills of the people of Ireland, of every age and social background. As the one national holiday that is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other, St. Patrick’s Day is the day when everyone wants to be Irish. Why was it started? • To offer a national festival that ranks as one of the greatest celebrations in the world • To create energy and excitement throughout Ireland via innovation, creativity and grassroots involvement, and marketing activity • To provide the opportunity and motivation for people of Irish descent (and those who sometimes wish they were Irish) to attend and join in the imaginative and expressive celebrations • To project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal. The first St Patrick’s Festival was held over one day, and night, on March 17th 1996. The live audience for the day was estimated to be 430,000. Preparation for the first St Patrick’s Festival used to take only 5 months, but with the growth of the Festival, it now takes 18 months to plan for Ireland’s biggest annual celebration. The 2013 St. Patrick’s Festival added €122 million to the Irish economy.
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Is é príomhaidhm Fhéile Naomh Pádraig, ó cuireadh tús leis an bhféile, chun féile mhór bhliantúil idirnáisiúnta a fhorbairt timpeall ar saoire náisiúnta a mbeadh ‘úinéirí’ na féile, muintir na hÉireann, bródúil aisti. Is é cuspóir na féile tallann agus éachtaí muintir na hÉireann a léiriú ar iliomad stáitsí náisiúnta agus domhanda, agus gníomhaíonn sí mar thaispeántas spreagúil de scileanna na ndaoine – daoine de gach aois agus de gach cúlra sóisialta in Éirinn. Ós rud é gurb í an saoire náisiúnta a cheiliúrtar i níos mó tíortha timpeall an domhain ná aon fhéile eile, is é Lá Fhéile Pádraig an lá inar mhian le gach duine bheith ina Éireannach. Thugamar aghaidh ar an deis sin a thapú, agus aireachtáil náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta i dtaobh Lá Fhéile Pádraig i mBaile Átha Cliath a chlaochlú go hiomlán. Tá an tír seo beo beathach leis an saghas sin d’fhuinneamh cruthaitheach, de smaointe agus de dhíocas a theastaíonn chun an beart a dhéanamh. Ba í ár sprioc na nithe thuas a shaothrú, ionas go mbeadh cuimhne mhaith ag cách ar ár saoire náisiúnta. CÉN FÁTH AR CUIREADH TÚS LEIS AN BHFÉILE? - Chun féile náisiúnta a chur ar fáil a bheadh ar ceann de na ceiliúrtha is fearr ar domhan. - Chun fuinneamh agus brí a chruthú ar fud na hÉireann trí nuálaíocht, cruthaitheacht, rannpháirtíocht na cosmhuintire, agus gníomhaíocht mhargaíochta. - An deis agus an spreagadh a sholáthar do dhaoine de shliocht na hÉireann (agus iad siúd ar mhian leo gurbh Éireannaigh iad amanna) chun freastal ar an bhféile agus chun páirt a ghlacadh sa cheiliúradh samhlaíoch agus eispriseach. - Íomhá ghéar d’Éirinn mar thír chruthaitheach, ghairmiúil agus shofaisticiúil a mheallann réimse fairsing daoine a scaipeadh go hidirnáisiúnta. Bhí an chéad Fhéile Pádraig Naofa ar siúl i gcaitheamh lá agus oíche amháin, an 17 Márta 1996, agus tá borradh tagtha ar an bhféile idir an dá linn agus ceiliúrtar an fhéile anois ar feadh 4-5 lá. DÁTAÍ NA FÉILE AMACH ANSEO: 2017: Déardaoin an 16 – Dé Domhnaigh an 19 Márta 2018: Dé hAoine an 16 – Dé Luain an 19 Márta 2019: Dé hAoine an 15 – Dé Luain an 18 Márta 2020: Dé Sathairn an 14 – Dé Máirt an 17 Márta Bíonn Lá Fhéile Pádraig i gcónaí ar siúl ar an 17 Márta.