The Dublin parade boasts the widest variety of international groups. Ten visiting bands \u2014 including Arizona\u2019s Campo Verde High School Coyote Pride, Texas\u2019s Coppell High School Band, Iowa\u2019s Cedar Rapids Metro Marching Band, Indiana\u2019s Pendleton Heights Marching Arabians, Mississippi\u2019s South Jones High School Band and Scotland\u2019s Morrison\u2019s Academy Pipe Band \u2014 will march beside Dublin\u2019s Clondalkin Youth Band and the world\u2011famous Ohio State University Marching Band. Celbridge welcomes the Ohio State band later that afternoon for a special performance, while Kilkenny plans to reprise appearances by the University of Illinois Marching Illini and Campo Verde. In Cork, spectators can look forward to the McKinney High School \u201cRoyal Pride\u201d and DC Everest Senior High bands as well as the samba collective Batala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waterford keeps things local by giving City of Waterford Brass a midday slot and inviting the Absurdist Pipe Band to join the procession. Limerick\u2019s parade will feature a strong showing from the city\u2019s International Band Championship, including groups such as Brigade of the Irish Defence Forces, Banna Chluain Meala, Redemptorist Centre of Music Concert Band, City of Limerick Pipe Band and Boherbuoy Brass & Reed Band along with American guests like Campo Verde and South Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One the largest parades of the day will be in Dungiven where the AOH host their annual St Patrick\u2019s Day parade 24 bands are expected to take part with some coming from Scotland and across Ireland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Local favourites and travelling bands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Community parades make sure the island\u2019s own ensembles take centre stage. Ardee\u2019s 3 p.m. procession will be led by the Ardee Concert Band, while nearby Drogheda at noon features Meath\u2019s K & S Accordion Band, the Drogheda Brass Band and the Lourdes Brass Band. Downpatrick welcomes the Mayobridge Band, and Newry will be joined by the Holy Cross Band Atticall marking their first time at a major parade in several years they will be alongside the McDonald Memorial Pipe Band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the north, Armagh city hosts eleven traditional pipe and flute bands, including St Jarlath\u2019s Independent Pipe Band, Thomas Clarke Republican Flute Band, Eire Nua Flute Band and others. Dungannon assembles eight groups such as the Tom Clarke Memorial Band, South Derry Accordion Band and Clonoe Independent Pipe Band, while Dungiven boasts around twenty\u2011five bands and Belfast calls on the <\/p>\n\n\n\n Major Sinclair Memorial Pipe Band and Imperial Guards. On the coast, the St Joseph\u2019s Pipe Band from Longstone spends the morning touring its home patch \u2014 short parades in Longstone (9:15 a.m.) and Ballymartin (9:40 a.m. & 10:50 a.m.) \u2014 before playing in Kilkeel at 11:45 a.m. and later joining parades in Ardee and Warrenpoint. Ballymartin\u2019s own St Joseph\u2019s Flute Band follows a similar schedule, starting at 9:30 a.m. then to Kilkeel (11:15 a.m.), Rostrevor (1:30 p.m.) and finally Warrenpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n West of the Bann, community celebrations abound. Dungloe, Falcarragh, Dunfanaghy, Killybegs, Meenacross, Arranmore, Creeslough and Letterkenny each host parades featuring bands such as Banna Ceoil Cloich Cheann Fhaola, St Catherine\u2019s Band, the Dungloe Senior & Junior Bands, Maghery Band Academy, the Arranmore Pipe Band and the revived Creeslough band. Moate (Westmeath) will be led by a 60\u2011member troupe from Comhaltas Ceolt\u00f3ir\u00ed \u00c9ireann, while Castlepollard\u2019s evening procession features the Mullingar Town Band. Further north in Aghagallon (Antrim) the Clonoe Independent Pipe Band marches in St Mary\u2019s GAC\u2019s parade, and Ballymartin and Kilkeel see appearances from local flute and pipe bands throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plan your St Patrick\u2019s Day route<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With university marching bands sharing the streets with vintage flute bands and newly formed ensembles, St Patrick\u2019s Day 2026 offers something for every music lover. Use our county\u2011by\u2011county listing for start times and band details to make sure you don\u2019t miss your favourites \u2014 whether it\u2019s hearing the Ohio State University Marching Band twice in one day, catching the Ardee Concert Band at home, or following a local pipe band as it travels from village to village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ireland\u2019s national holiday is all about the music. On 17 March 2026, parades across the island will ring with the sound of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"St\u00a0Patrick\u2019s Day Parades\u00a02026 \u2013\u00a0Marching Bands Preview","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parades","category-st-patricks-day"],"yoast_head":"\n![](\"https:\/\/marchingbandsireland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/img_7346-1024x576.jpg\")
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