Banagher mums save parade

A group of mothers have made it their mission to save Banagher's St Patrick's Day parade.

After last year's committee stood down, the chances of the town hosting a parade looked non-existent until a number of mothers from the Banagher Baby and Toddler Group decided that this wasn't going happen.
Louise Pearl, who is a member of the parade's new committee, said that she and her colleagues decided that for the sake of their children the parade had to go ahead.

“It just seemed like a shame to let it go. So many parades have fallen apart. We are going to try our best this year. We have been getting a good bit of interest and businesses around town have welcomed it.”
The organising committee have already secured the support of a number of local organisations, including Comhaltas, the craft group and the gospel choir, while the members of the previous committee have lent a lot of help too.

Describing herself and her fellow organisers as “blow ins”, Louise says that they want to get as many local groups as possible involved in the parade. She says that it is especially important that local businesses put floats into the parade. In addition to the parade, which takes place on Sunday March 18 at 3pm, there will also be a number of side events taking place on the day with many catered to children.

“We are hoping to make a day out of it, rather than just an hour for the parade,” Louise explains.
If you would like to help the organising committee or enter a float in the parade you can leave a message on the Banagher 10th Anniversary St Patrick's Day Parade Facebook page.