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Failte- Welcome
Welcome everybody to Luton’s 7th Annual St Patrick’s Festival/Parade. A special welcome to the Major Luton Cilr Haji Abid, Mayor of Houghton Regis Cllr Mrs S M Lagnado, the Mayor of Dunstable Cllr Andrew Fairbairn….. and Mr. M. Lonergan (First Secretary Irish Embassy).

The Luton Irish Festival opens at St Joseph’s Parish Centre with the launch on Saturday 11th March. This year’s Parade will take place on Sunday 12th March and will have more participants then ever before. There are many highlights in this week long Festival but the Parade is central to the Festival and leading this year’s parade will be the Luton University Pipe Band. We also extend a warm welcome to the Harpenden Pipe Band, the Dookinella Pipe Band from Co. Mayo, the St Joseph’s Accordion Band from Portlaoise, the Children of Lir, which will be performed by the St Margaret’s of Scotland Junior School, The Highfield Carnival Club from Hemel Hempstead, the St Alban’s Majorettes, Luton Sea Cadets, the GAA, the County Associations, Stilt Walkers and many more.

We are putting on 2 days of entertainment in the Arndale Shopping Centre of music, song and dance on the 12th and 17th March. The centre will throb to the tapping of tiny feet, and the sound of gentle Irish airs, so come on down and enjoy.

This year wer are delighted to welcome The Mayo Male Voice Choir (Castlebar) who will be performing at the Library Theatre, along with the Abbeykncokmoy Set Dancers (Co. Galway), the John Brookes’ Acadeny of Dancing, and international harpist Margaret Knight. There are two shows- on the 16th and 18th March.

We also have an evening of entertainment at the Holy Ghost Parish Centre on St Patrick’s evening, 17th March.

The Luton Irish Forum is the founder and motivator of the festival.
Working with the Luton Borough Concil, The Beds Police, the Arndale Centre, the County Associations, the Parish Centres, Comholtas, local schools, the GAA, we are delighted once again to organise this Festival, which reflects the Irish cultural contribution to the life of Luton.

Our thanks to those who have helped to finance the Festival in any way, notably businesses at local, national and international level. Organising a festival like this a major undertaking for a voluntary organisation. My sincere thanks to the organisers, the St Patrick’s Festival Committee, who have worked tirelessly on the project over the past 6 months.

We hope the community as a whole in the Eastern Region, will come along and enjoy the Festival. Slainte and a happy St. Patrick’s Festival to each and every one of you.

Michael Maguire
ST Patrick’s Festival Chairman.