Festival of Fun
Le Padraig MacDabhaid
Despite the best efforts of Unionist politicians, the people of
Belfast are set to hold one of the biggest and most colourful St
Patrick's Day parades ever seen in the city.
Due to the huge interest generated from both outside and inside
Belfast the venue at City Hall is expected to be flooded with
thousands of people as last year an estimated 80,000 attended the
event.
The St Patrick's Carnival Committee in Belfast has been meeting since
April last year to plan the event. Initially the committee was
working in partnership with Belfast City Council. However, on
February 1 1999 a motion by the DUP's Sammy Wilson, seconded by the
PUP's Billy Hutchinson urging the council to withdraw the 50,000
funding it was giving to the Committee was passed. Hutchinson and
Wilson argued that the St Patrick's Day parade excluded unionists and
was political, a charge denied by parade organiser Caitriona Ruane
who said, ``last year thousands of people from all ethnic and
political backgrounds celebrated St Patrick's Day in an atmosphere of
fun. This year would have been no different''.
d in a move that was disappointing to nationalists SDLP councillors
at both committee stage and council stage refused to back the
festival committee, siding with the unionists.
This placed the Carnival Committee in the unenviable position of
having to raise 60,000 in six weeks. However, an with international
and national appeal they managed to raise 52,000 in four weeks. The
funds have come from funders, businesses, community groups, functions
in bars and clubs, street collections, and childrens pocket money,
and are still flooding in.
Caitriona Ruane, Chairperson of the Carnival congratulated the
organisers for raising the money.
The Carnival has brought communities throughout Belfast closer
together in order to make this event work. Communities throughout
Belfast are preparing for St Patrick's Carnival, organising over 100
arts workshops throughout the city with artists and young people
making artwork around the theme of ``Earth, Wind and Fire''. The
organisers are hoping that people throughout Ireland will attend the
carnival, indeed a bus is travelling from the Garvaghy Road for the
occasion. Speaking to AP/RN, Caitriona Ruane said, ``the Dublin Parade
is the biggest in Ireland with Belfast the next in line. Therefore we
would hope that anyone, particularly those closer to Belfast will
come here and support our parade''.
In discussing the Unionist decision not to support the event she
said, ``we have been contacted by people from areas which those who
voted against the parade claim to represent and they have said that
they are disgusted at their actions in not supporting the carnival''.
She concluded, ``we have acts/performers from Africa, Asia, and Latin
America. We have booked a big screen so that the people of Belfast
can see this colourful show and join with us in celebrating the
Belfast St Patrick's Carnival''.
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