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PATRICK MAKES A SPLASH FOR 2013 FESTIVAL All aboard for this year’s Festival celebrations.... 15th March 2013: Navigating a course this morning up Dublin’s River Liffey, St. Patrick himself has arrived safely in Dublin City Centre in time for this year’s fun filled, five day St. Patrick’s Festival. The Patron Saint of Ireland arrived in safety and style donning a life jacket aboard his 5m Rib. In the year of The Gathering, the St. Patrick’s Festival activities have taken on a distinctly international flavour. For the first year ever the Festival has invited people from across the world to march in the St. Patrick’s Festival Parade, next March 17th. ‘The People’s Parade’ will see friends and family from abroad cheered on by hundreds of thousands of spectators as they pass by some of Ireland’s most historic landmarks including the GPO, Trinity College and Dublin Castle. With a live audience on the streets of over half a million, Ireland’s leading pageant companies will animate their interpretations of this year’s parade theme, ‘Great Things Happen When We Get Together’. Artistic groups including Buí Bolg, Spraoi, Brighter Futures, Artastic, City Fusion, Inishowen Carnival Group, and Dowtcha will present their awe-inspiring and thought provoking imaginative creations on the streets of the capital during the Festival Parade. Building on the success of last year, ‘I Love My City’ returns to the 2013 Festival Calendar. Programmed by St. Patrick’s Festival, ‘I Love My City’ sees Dublin’s most iconic cultural venues, from The National Library and Trinity College to the Chester Beatty Library and Marsh’s Library open their doors to host 16 free headline events and performances. Established and emerging artists from a variety of disciplines including poetry, dance, visual art, filmmaking, history, literature, music and theatre will feature in a truly unique and memorable series of happenings. Acting CEO of St. Patrick’s Festival, Edelle Moss welcomed the arrival of our patron saint commenting; “I am delighted that St. Patrick has arrived safely for the 2013 Festival. His presence in Dublin throughout the Festival celebrations always creates a splash! The 2013 Festival has involved 18 months of planning and I am confident that this year’s festivities will be the best to date. The economic impact of the Festival is also hugely beneficial to the country with previous research showing that spending by tourists and Dubliners contributes over €50.5m to the economy annually making it one of the most important events of the year for a lot of businesses in the city.” St. Patrick’s Festival takes place from 14th – 18th March, 2013. See www.stpatricksfestival.ie. ENDS For further information, please contact: Maria McGrath, Fleishman-Hillard, on 01 6188420 or maria.mcgrath@fleishmaneurope.com Kevin Moore, Fleishman-Hillard, on 01 6188499 or Kevin.moore@fleishmaneurope.com Notes to Editors: St. Patrick’s Festival 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 ‘owners’ of the Festival, 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 amongst all of the greatest celebration in the world. To create energy and excitement throughout Ireland, via innovation, creativity, 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 appeals. 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. In 1997, we dropped the word “Day” from our title and it became “St. Patrick’s Festival”, a three day event. The Festival has since grown to become a four day festival and in 2001 was enjoyed by 1.2million people. 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. St. Patrick’s Festival is supported by Fáilte Ireland and Dublin City Council.
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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.