Plans for weekend event in Cavan for St Patrick's Day

The committee that formed last year to take over the organisation of the St Patrick's Day Parade are planning a major festival on the long weekend of March 16-19. Members of the committee made a presentation to Cavan Town Council at their January meeting in a bid to secure €7,500 for the festival, which will cost over €15,000 by the time a family fun day on the Sunday is factored in. "Funding is crucial. The cost last year to run the parade was €10,000 - and we ran it at a loss," said chair of the committee Michael Mooney who was joined at the meeting by co-organisers, Ursula Cadden, Peter McGinnity and Dessie Brady. He told members how he and another member of the committee personally covered the deficit last year, with a church gate collection and levies of €150 per public house and €75 per restaurant covering the rest. For more on this story, buy this week's Celt...