By: Fiona Rowlands
When I got an email asking for volunteers for the Limerick St. Patrick’s Day parade, I thought it would be a unique way to celebrate the holiday while I am in Ireland, so I signed up.
I also knew that I wouldn’t have anyone to celebrate with since my friends were going to Dublin. Dublin is ridiculously crowded on St. Paddy’s Day, and it would have been way too overwhelming for me. I was excited to volunteer but was not sure what to expect.
The parade itself was mostly fun. It had been raining all morning, but it cleared up for the parade. I was assigned to Scoil Uí Nualláin, an Irish dancing school. The group ranged from little kids to young adults.
The little kids were very cute, and the older students were very good dancers. They also won the best overall performance in the parade. My job as a steward was to make sure they followed the right path and to keep the following group from coming too close.
It was very fun, except that the group behind me had a truck. It honked the whole time, even when the dancers stopped to perform. I understood honking to rally the crowd during the walk, but nobody could hear the music the dancers were performing due to the honking. It was so rude!
Other than the truck, it was a lot of fun! People were all dressed up, and the little kids watching the parade wanted high-fives from all the volunteers.
If the truck had been the only negative experience, I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. Volunteers were told to come at 9 am. I thought this was strange as the parade started at noon but thought we might help set things up for the parade.
What I forgot is that everyone is on Irish time. Irish people have a very relaxed sense of time. There were a few people when I arrived just after 9 but most people didn’t arrive until 9:45. It was not actually necessary to be there so early, but they said 9 so everyone would arrive on time.
Unfortunately, the meeting place was outside, and it was raining. At 10, we walked for a half hour to the military barracks where all the groups participating in the parade were to meet. They were supposed to arrive at 10:30 but it was empty until about an hour later.
By the time the parade had started I had been standing in the rain for three hours. This seriously detracted from the experience, and it was pointless. I asked if there was anything to do to help but there wasn’t, I just had to wait.
We were also told not to bring umbrellas because they aren’t allowed in the parade, so I was soaked at this point. I am still glad I did it, and I am glad I didn’t go to Dublin, but I think it is more enjoyable to watch the parade.
Frowlands@my.dom.edu
