Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate on Millennium Square on 17th March, which marked 25 years of the St Patricks Day Parade in Leeds.
We were honoured this year to welcome Rob Burrow CBE as our ribbon cutter with his wife Lindsey and their children Maya, Macey and Jackson. After cutting the ribbon to start the festivities Rob and family walked through Leeds City Centre with the parade. Thank you to Rob!
Also among our guests of honour were Lord Mayor of Leeds, Cllr Al Garthwaite and the Right Honourable Alderwoman Angela Gabriel, and Sarah Mangan, Consul General of Ireland in Manchester. We were also joined on stage in Millennium Square by Alex Sobel MP and special guest Feargal Sharkey.
We were also honoured to be joined by Richard Burgon MP, Cllrs Luke Farley, Adrian McCluskey, Jim McKenna and Mikey Millar who carried flags in the parade.
Carrying the Tricolour was Malachy Gaughan from Leeds Irish Centre. The St Patrick’s Banner was carried by Cinta Culkin and Jackie Coyle representing the original founders of the parade committee. Tommy McLaughlin and Bernard McGrath also joined us on the day who were also part of the founding parade committee.
Thank you to all the groups on floats for creating a wonderful colourful spectacle. These were:
St Urban's Catholic Primary School & Christ the King Catholic Primary School (best float winner)
St Nicholas Catholic Primary School & St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School
St Francis Catholic Primary School Morley & Holy Name Catholic Voluntary Academy
JFK GAA
Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
Leeds Irish Health and Homes
Joyce O’Donnell Dance Academy
Thank you to the wagon providers for the floats:
Plantforce, Durkan & Sons, Murphy, K Rouse Civil Engineers, Peter Duffy Ltd, Moortown Group, Fairfax Group.
Thank you to all the groups represented in walking displays:
Rose of Tralee and the Rosebuds
St Theresa's Catholic Primary School
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pudsey
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
St Aelred’s Irish Dance Group, Harrogate
MND Association Leeds
Leeds Ukrainian Community Association
Leeds Refugee Forum
Ladies Irish Golfers
Men's Irish Golfers
Gibbons Academy of Irish Dance
Thompson Academy Irish Dancers
Mayo Association
Hugh O'Neills GAA
St Philip's Catholic Primary & Nursery School
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School
St Paul’s Catholic Primary School
Thank you to the bands who play in the parade and for their support every year:
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Band, Huddersfield Brass Band and City of Leeds Pipe Band
Thank you to the performers on stage who were:
Leeds Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Luke Flear, St Aelreds Dance School and Joyce O'Donnell School of Dance, Leeds University Union Irish Dancers, Sean Harrington, The Leeds Irish Choir, Tommy Wade the DJ
Provincial and County Flag Bearers:
Thank you to all who arrived to carry flags on the day. This was the first year without our long standing flag marshall Tom Brennan RIP. So thank you to all who for helping us create a display this year. If we did not get a note of your name please let us know!
Connacht Padraig Murphy
Sligo Claire Alcock
Leitrim Martyn Clancy
Mayo Mick McNulty
Roscommon Dominic Kelly
Roscommon Dominic Kelly
Leinster Cllr Jim McKenna
Carlow Geraldine Duffy
Dublin Marco Wade
Kildare Richard Burgon MP
Kilkenny Oliver Stapleton
Laois Mark
Longford April Rowley for Bernard Patrick O’Reilly
Louth Stephen Sutton
Meath Sutton family, Sheila Brine and Maria Higgins
Offaly Emma Cassidy
Wexford Cllr Mikey Millar
Munster Sean Byrne
Cork Pauline and Neil Jenkinson
Kerry Sue Gill
Limerick Frank Kearney
Tipperary Marcus McCarthy
Ulster Cllr Luke Farley
Antrim Cllr Adrian McCluskey
Armagh Martin Booth and Sean Cassidy
Cavan Marta Larkin
Donegal Regina Stapleton
Down Lee Murtagh
Londonderry Melanie Roughley
Tyrone Members of the Quinn Family
We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year on Sunday 16th March 2025.
Photographs: Rob Burrow and family, floats and tractor (Mike Bettney), Feargal Sharkey and Alex Sobel MP (Alex Sobel), Best float winners, dog in Ireland shirt (Shannen Midgley).
Head over to our Facebook page for more photographs.
