ENNIS SINGER Maura O’Connell will be the grand marshal for this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in the county town.
Maura will travel all the way from Tennessee to Ennis for the parade with the honour bestowed upon her by Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Pat Daly (FF).
Born into a musical family, Maura was the third of four sisters. Her mother’s family owned Costello’s fish shop in Ennis where O’Connell worked until music became her full-time career.
She got very involved in the local folk club scene and together with Mike Hanrahan, who later fronted trad/rock outfit Stockton’s Wing, they performed a country music set, as a duo called ‘Tumbleweed’.
During a six week tour of the US in 1980, Maura began her professional music journey as vocalist for De Dannan. The following year, she was featured on the band’s landmark album, The Star Spangled Molly. She released her debut album in 1980.
In 1986, she moved to Nashville and went on to have a very successful career in the US releasing albums with Jerry Douglas and Béla Fleck and sharing the stage with many top artists such as Dolly Parton, John Prine, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, John Oates, Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt.
Aside from the music world, Martin Scorsese cast O’Connell, scruffed up for the role, as an Irish migrant street singer in his 19th-century epic Gangs of New York, released in 2002.
A delegation from Ennis’ twinning town in Germany, Langenfeld. The Mayor of Langenfeld Frank Schneider and members of the city administration and twinning committee will participate in the parade and experience St Patrick’s Day in Ennis.
Clare FM’s Colum McGrath will be MC for the parade with the stage to be located in Abbey Street carpark.
Pre-parade entertainment will begin from 10:15am with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann performing on stage in Abbey Street carpark while Scoil Ui Ruairc Irish dancing school will entertain on stage at Steele’s Terrace.
‘Remembering the Past – Embracing the Future’ is the theme for this year’s parade which
will begin at Áras Contae an Chláir at 11:00am and will proceed via New Road, Newbridge Road, Club Bridge, Abbey Street carpark, Bank Place and Bindon Street.
Roads being closed on a rolling basis include Steele’s Terrace/Newbridge Road (from Kelly’s Corner roundabout to the Club Bridge), New Road from its junction with Tulla Road to Newbridge Road, Dr Daly Road from its junction with Lifford Road and New Road, College Road (local access only), Mill Road in an easterly direction from the Maid of Erin roundabout to its junction with Bindon Street, Harmony Row, Abbey Street, Francis Street from Francis Street car park to Abbey Street, Bank Place, Bindon Street, Old Friary Lane. Diversions will be in place and pedestrian access will be available.
