Published: Friday, 5th March, 2010 12:00pm

Blacklion's first St. Patrick's parade

by Michael Cryan

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Blacklion will create a little bit of history this St. Patrick's Day when it stages its first parade. What makes the parade even more special is that it will be the first cross-Border parade as it is in conjunction with neighbour Belcoo in Co. Fermanagh.

The brainchild of the Blacklion Traders Association, the event has been submitted to the Parades Commission for ratification but there is agreement from all side for it to go ahead, said Sean Nolan.

It is due to start at 4pm and will be a fundraiser for the Haiti earthquake victims.

Sean said there will be plenty of entertainment for everyone; a stage in Blacklion and host have set-dancers, Michael Leonard of You're A Star fame, the choir One Voice, and Eugene Dolan and family.

St. Patrick will lead the parade for his first appearance in the village since 431! St. Michael's Scout Band from Enniskillen will participate and it is hoped that many of the floats that enter the Ballyconnell, Swanlinbar, Killeshandra, and even Cavan town parades will take part as well.

Blacklion Traders Association, which organised the successful Blacklion's Got Talent as part of the Fair Day Weekend last July (it attracted 3,000 visitors to the village for the final), hoped that the St. Patrick's Day parade will become an annual event.

Sean understands that there is a lot of interest in the parade from the the national media, the BBC, UTV and RTÉ as it is possibly the first cross-Border parade ever.

Cllr. John Paul Feeley pointed that there had been excellent parades in other towns in west Cavan, like Swanlinbar, Dowra and Ballyconnell, but this is the first for Blacklion.

The organisers have given exceptional commitment through the years and they had to be commended for their efforts, he said.

"The parade in Blacklion and Belcoo is unique in the fact that it is a joint venture and I'm looking forward to it," Cllr. Feeley added, and paid tribute to the organisers of all the parades in west Cavan.