Dundalk Chamber pull out of running St Patrick's Day parade

The Dundalk Chamber of Commerce has announced this evening that it will no longer be involved in organising the St Patrick's Day parade in Dundalk.

In a press statement released tonight, Dundalk Chamber PRO Paddy Malone, said that after the past two years where the Chamber of Commerce has been left to manage the parade without help, and without any support forthcoming, they are not in a position to run the 2019 parade.

The full statement is as follows:

"Since its reintroduction a number of years ago the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dundalk has become a significant event in the social life of Dundalk. It is an event which is enjoyed by everyone watching and taking part. In a very real sense the parade belongs to the town and the community and depends on the participation of a host of groups and individuals

"When the parade was restarted a committee was formed to act as a central point to facilitate all the different stakeholders and to plan and manage the parade. Dundalk Chamber of Commerce initially undertook to chair this committee and to coordinate the efforts of all the participants.

"These included the Local Authority, BIDS, representatives of the main shopping centres and sports and community groups amongst others. Each year there have been fewer and fewer willing to commit the time and effort required to plan and manage the parade.

"For the last two years we have finally reached the stage where the Chamber of Commerce has been left to manage the parade without help.

"Planning the event, raising the sponsorship and managing the routing, permissions and coordination both on the day and after the event have become more and more complex and time-consuming as the event has grown.

"There is an added difficulty this year as the redevelopment works in Clanbrassil Street will be underway which will require a completely new planning and routing for the parade, if it is even possible to hold a parade.

"The increasing scale of the parade, the challenges inherent in coordinating a large bank of participants, coordinating the public services, road closures, traffic management, safety cover etc have demanded more and more effort each year

"It has only been possible for the Chamber of Commerce to manage the parade due to the trojan efforts of a small team of volunteer members of the Chamber who have carried this burden in addition to their normal working lives. Unfortunately, the main organisers have changed their roles and will not be in a position to run the event this year.

"We have attempted to raise this issue with the Local Authority, as the body with the greatest reach, and with other parties on many occasions since April 2018 and have had no response despite repeated contacts. There have been no other participants willing to step up and help or take on some of the roles which are needed to plan and manage an event of this scale.

"The Chamber of Commerce is a not for profit organisation whose role is to act as an advocacy and support group for business and enterprise in Dundalk and its environs.

"It was never the role of the Chamber to act as Event Managers for public events of this scale. No other Chamber of Commerce in the country runs or manages the St Patricks day parades – or other major public events.

"It is with great regret that we must now publicly announce that Dundalk Chamber of Commerce cannot support, plan, coordinate, manage and clear up after the St Patrick’s Day parade.

"The Chamber is more than willing to participate in any committee formed to plan and run the parade and will happily contribute our experience and the knowledge we have gained. We welcome any intervention and will support any initiative to continue the great work which has been done to date.

"For further information please contact Pat McCormick, (President) of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce or Paddy Malone, (PRO) of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce."

It is not yet known what the future holds for next year's parade as a result of the Chamber's decision.