A three-day festival of free events will take place in Galway city from March 16th-18th in celebration of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day.
Embracing the spirit of the Olympics taking place in Paris this July, Galway City Council and Mayor Cllr Eddie Hoare are excited to announce the theme of this year’s St. Patrick’s Festival, ‘Olympics 2024, Dare to Believe’.
City Mayor Cllr Eddie Hoare says of the festival, “Galway is a city like no other, and our St. Patrick’s Weekend Festival is a testament to that.”
“By uniting under the theme ‘Olympics 2024, Dare to Believe,’ we are honouring our sporting heroes but also inspiring our next generation.”
CEO of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Peter Sherrard said Galway and Connacht have a proud history of producing Olympic athletes who can inspire the next generation of sporting heroes.
“We know that sport is an immensely powerful force for good – especially in young people. Teaching them about physical fitness, resilience, dealing with setbacks and mental well being, as well as inspiring them to reach for big dreams by setting achievable goals is what Dare to Believe supported by PTSB is all about.”
“We’re proud that Galway City Council is taking this message to its public on St Patrick’s Day.”
Full Schedule: (All Events – Free of Charge)
Music Festival Village (March 16th, 17th, 18th):
A three-day programme of free outdoor concerts will take place in Eyre Square in the St. Patrick’s Weekend Festival Village, featuring an array of local acts and some special international guests.
On Saturday the village will include performances from lyrical folk trio Colm Seoighe & hEasógaí, foot-stomping ensemble Dead Letter Devils, and improvisational folk group The Curly Organ.
Sunday will see performances from group drumming experience Drumadore, Swiss Carnival Band Escheschränzer Eschenbach, Yale University’s premiere folk singing group Tangled Up In Blue, award winning Galway supergroup BackWest and trad-infused folk-rock band Kettle Boilers.
Monday will start with Music Generation youth music showcase Livefeed, featuring young songwriters and bands from across Galway, followed by performances from some of the city’s most exciting emerging acts: Little Night Violence, Rory Ryan and Adore.
St Patrick’s Day Parade (March 17th):
The parade will commence once again with the Green Mile followed by the ‘Olympics 2024- Dare to Believe’ parade.
Olympics Family Fun Day 2024 (March 18th):
Our 2024 Family Fun Day will take place in Leisureland & Salthill Park from 12 to 4pm on Monday the 18th of March and will include a number of games and activities for everyone to try including Rowing, Glow Games, Athletics, Drumadore, Yoga, Pickleball, facepainting and much more.
Galway on Film – A Celebration of the films of Donal Haughey (March 18th):
Donal Haughey has been capturing Galway on film for decades and on the 18th of March we will showcase a series of his films that tells the stories of Galway at the Town Hall Theatre.
The schedule includes Palace of Dreams (1996), Sonny Days (1997), Kings Head (2002), An Taibhdhearc (2003), Bóthar Na Trá (2006), Books in the Blood (1998), The Cobbler (2015) and the public premiere of Echoes (2023). Tickets will be free and available from www.tht.ie from March 11th
Tribesmen – Head of the River (March 16th):
Galway’s premier rowing spectacle will return to the River Corrib on Saturday, March 16th, 2024, after a 11-year hiatus.
The Head of the River will kick off rowing regatta season with a series of races of along the Corrib providing a spectacle for all the family to enjoy.
