Coronavirus: Flute band cancels St Patrick’s Day procession

The Cormeen Rising Sons of William Flute Band took the decision at an emergency meeting last night to call off its St Patrick’s Day procession in Armagh which was due to welcome 46 bands to the city.

The band chairman called the meeting at which band officers, members and several local community representatives attended, and made the unanimous decision.

The annual band procession, since being established in 2012, has become of the largest held on St Patrick’s Day across the British Isles in terms of active participants, regularly including over 30 marching bands with over 1,000 members.

Chairman Mark Gibson commented: “The band’s annual parade in Armagh is incredibly important both as a general celebration of culture and tradition, and as our main fundraiser of the year, but given what is rapidly growing into a health crisis, the band could not insist on the event going ahead given the obvious risks that bringing large numbers of people together would create.

“This year 46 bands had confirmed their attendance, arguably making it possibly our largest ever.

“Whilst we understand it has been stated the risks from an outdoor event might be marginally lower than indoor gatherings, we also realise that at the current time the dangers are still relatively unknown.

“With participants and spectators from across Northern Ireland certain and the accompanying inevitable larger numbers utilising local businesses and premises, the potential dangers outweigh the rewards, and in all conscience we could not place the community at that level of unknown risk.

“Given this year is the 130th Anniversary of the formation of Cormeen Rising Sons of William, this is a larger sacrifice for the band than normal, but the health and wellbeing of the wider community comes first.”

Cormeen Rising Sons of William hope to organise an event later in the year in substitution for the St Patrick’s Day procession.