Marking the 67th annual Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival people lined the streets of the city’s Digbeth district, as dancers, pipe bands, drummers and a flotilla of floats introduced a day of music and family fun – all on March 17, the very day high on the Catholic calendar…St Patrick’s Day!
Sponsored by locally-based micro-brewery, Dig Brew, some of the biggest stars in Irish music; including headline act, internationally renowned singer/songwriter Finbar Furey, added extra colour to the sea of green, white and gold as they lit-up the St Pat Rock stage with music from the mother land – in the heart of the second city.
From marching bands to dhul drumming bands and mass pipe players, Irish dancing schools, classic cars, samba bands, Irish county associations and sports teams, the procession, led by Festival organising committee member Len Cale, (dressed as St Patrick), a visibly proud Birmingham Lord Mayor Councillor Yvonne Mosquito, plus an equally-so West Midlands Metro Mayor Andy Street, and the City Council’s Events Commissioning Manager at Sport, Events & Parks, Garry Peal, even the stark diversity of a day of weather extremes - from bright sunshine to belting hail storms - would prove insignificant; as it was miles of smiles that would be the overriding memory of the day.
With the Emerald village available, featuring the Bob Wilson funfair a Formula 1 car simulator and small petting zoo for children to enjoy and the streets laden with stalls full of all sorts of quality memorabilia, everyone present had one thing in common…SHEAR ALL-ROUND ENJOYMENT!!!
“Every one of the estimated 80,000 or so who turnout really enjoying the music and funfair,” said St Patrick’s Festival Birmingham chair, Peter Connolly. “And the support from t community; local and Irish businesses, and from the city we love and work in all helped to keep this incredible civic event growing in size and ambition each year.”
Further live music acts including contemporary folk bands Lampa and The Deluge and Salt Creek, singer-songwriter James Reidy, and traditional groups Cairde and Reel Note would bring the live music venue to a close.
The festivities, though, would go on all day long.
