As always the thousands that throng to the annual Parade can expect a multitude of sights sounds and fringe events. There will be a small army of marching bands– including a new jazz ensemble, more floats, vehicles of interest, walking groups and plenty of ‘Wow what was that?’ including a mustering of Town Criers from throughout the Midlands.
Highlights include PatROCKS at South Birmingham College, a family friendly Emerald Village at the Irish Centre and, for the more hardcore amongst you, St Patricks PaRAVE at The Rainbow.
The Birmingham St. Patrick’s Festival Committee are holding a community meeting at the Irish Centre on Thursday 4th February at 7pm in order to discuss all their plans for this year’s Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival and Parade, which this year is on the weekend of 13th March. This is your opportunity to meet with the committee, make your own festival suggestions and share ideas!
The Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival is the biggest community event in the city, and we really depend on community feedback/involvement to ensure we can curate a great festival. Please make every effort to attend and encourage others to do so.
I’m liking the sound of this very much – Kent Davis is planning a live literature event during Saint Patrick’s Day (or the corresponding weekend – date and venue tbc) which will be a tribute to the superb Irish literary canon.
Readers can perform their own chosen favourites and/or inspirations – and from a list that involves Behan, Beckett, O’Brien(s), O’Casey, Wilde, Synge, Doyle, Banville, Enright, MacCabe to name but a few, taking the modern with the classics – the possibilities, as they say, are many.
If you are interested in performing at this event email cowcud2001@yahoo.co.uk or comment on the Wrote Under blog post.
In the meantime, to get your New Year fix of live poetry and that, join the Wrote Under crew at their open mic event on Sunday Jan 17th at The Adam and Eve from 3pm onwards.
All welcome, free in, raffle, anything goes.. poetry, comedy, stories, karoke, drama, dance and a damn good time.
One part of the St Patrick’s Festival I did manage to make was this presentation by Ultan Cowley, bringing to life the world of the 20th century Irish navvy. Here’s some blurry highlights. It was insightful stuff that rang true for a lot of the many people there, some stories were quite sweet and touching but a lot shed light on what was a life of back-breaking hard work.
THIS WAS A SECRET WORLD OF ‘TUNNEL TIGERS’, ‘HEAVY DIGGERS’, AND ‘MCALPINE’S FUSILIERS’; OF ‘HEN HOUSES’, ‘COCK LODGERS’, AND ‘THE LANDLADIES’ BREAKFAST’; OF ‘PINCHER KIDDIES’, ‘LONG DISTANCE MEN’, AND ‘SHACKLING UP’; OF ‘DEAD MEN’, ‘WALKING PELTERS’, AND ‘MURPHY’S VOLUNTEERS’; OF ‘THE SHAMROCK’, ‘THE GALTYMORE’, ‘THE BUFFALO’ AND ‘THE CROWN’; OF EXILE AND ISOLATION AND LONELINESS AND DESPAIR.
I’m writing this from underneath my duvet on the sofa. Seems I’ve got some nasty, minging bug that’s had me out for the count for the last couple of days. The timing, quite frankly, sucks.
So you kids have fun. Don’t go paying me a second thought, whilst you’re enjoying your must-see films, cultural highlights, brilliant live performances and pints of Guinness. Oh no. You go off and enjoy yourselves.
YouTube – St Patrick’s Day Parade Preview – I did a serious double-take on Tuesday when I saw St Patrick walk through the Custard Factory’s reception. Seems this is what it was all about.
It is a dynamic new space with a village fete atmosphere. Activity will start with OYA BATUCADA – a samba band marching down Gibb St…As curious spectators follow the enticing rhythm down the street they will pass the avant garde graffiti kings from Secret Wars will be weaving their magic pens to great effect based on an Irish Theme.
There’s a lot more else besides to help create ‘the atmosphere of the Irish Bazaar’.
The 
