Magherafelt to host St Patrick's Day parade for first time in 12 years

Hundreds of people are expected to descend on Magherafelt on Monday, March 17 when the town hosts the annual St Patrick's Day parade.

AOH members from all over Ireland and Scotland are set to take part in the celebrations which was last held in Magherafelt in 2013.

Hosted by Desertmartin AOH Division 30 and Derry Co. Board, a whole weekend of entertainment has been planned to celebrate the feast of St Patrick.

The programme of events will begin on Saturday, March 15 with a traditional music concert at 8pm in St Mary's Parish Hall in Desertmartin.

Featuring the Crawley family and Patricia Maguire, the event will be compered by BJ Beggy.

Also on the night, Aoíbheann Devlin and Déaglán Ó Doíbhlín will give a brief history of the Downhill Harp which was made in 1702 in Ballinascreen by Cormac Ó Ceallaigh and will then play a few airs on a replica of it.

Irish dancers and other local traditional musicians will also showcase their talent on the night. Admission is £10.

On March 17, the festivities will begin in Magherafelt at 1pm with Irish dancers from a number of local dancing schools and traditional musicians performing in the parish centre at King Street. Tea and coffee will be served in the centre.

Following this, the main procession will commence at 2.30pm from King Street and proceed through the town centre with marching bands from throughout the country and a wide range of groups from the local community participating.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade will be lead by the National Board Members of the A.O.H - Liam McCarthy, President of the National Board of Ireland and Scotland, Seamus O’Hagan, Secretary of the National Board of Ireland and Scotland, Treasé O’Hagan, Assistant Secretary of Ireland and Scotland, James McMullan, Trustee for Northern Ireland, Gabriel Dillon Trustee for the South of Ireland and Patrick Devlin, Trustee for Scotland.

Sarsfield Accordion Band and Division 30 Desertmartin would like to thank Mid Ulster Council for the grant funding to help with the weekend celebrations.

Meanwhile, the PSNI have advised motorists that there will be some disruption to traffic in Magherafelt on St Patrick's Day.

A spokesperson said: “In Magherafelt participants and supporters are set to assemble at the Parish Centre Car Park on King Street at 2pm. Once formed, the parade will leave Parish Centre Car Park and travel along King Street to Church Street, Broad Street, The Diamond, Meeting Street, Kirk Avenue, Queens Avenue, Queen Street, The Diamond, Broad Street, completing a u-turn and heading back up Broad Street to The Diamond, Meeting Street, Fair Hill and into Kind Street to finish at Parish Centre Car Park in King Street. The parade will then disperse at around 4pm.

“Officers will be on the ground to accommodate the flow of traffic however road users may wish to seek another route if not attending a parade to avoid any unnecessary. There will also be some parking restrictions along the main parade routes and organisers have asked that people respect any area identified for blue badge holders or where 'No Parking' cones are placed.

“Police also wish to advise Street Traders wishing to trade along the route that they must have a valid Street Traders License issued by Mid Ulster District Council and should ensure that their stall does not encroach onto the road.

“We hope everyone enjoys the festivities and has a safe and enjoyable day.”