President Higgins to lead St Patrick’s Day celebrations
Date: Mon 17th Mar, 2025 | 09:34
Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins will today lead celebrations as the country marks St Patrick’s Day.
President Higgins and his wife Sabina will receive an Escort of Honour as they travel from Áras an Uachtaráin to St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral where they will attend a Celebration of the Eucharist.
Following the mass, the President and Sabina will be the Guests of Honour at the St Patrick’s Day Parade on O’Connell Street. The President is Patron of the St. Patrick’s Day Festival, which runs from 15 to 17 March. The theme of this year’s Festival and Parade is ‘Eachtraí’, the Irish word for Adventures, which represents the unique essence of Ireland and of Irish people.
In the evening, the President and Sabina will host a St Patrick’s Day reception at Áras an Uachtaráin. The theme of this year’s reception is ‘Samhlaíocht agus an Náisiún – Imagination and the Nation’ and the event will celebrate the contribution of community arts to inclusion and creativity.
The President and Sabina will be joined by community-based artists and Arts Officers from across the country for the reception, with a particular emphasis on those working in diverse communities, including within the Traveller community.
Music will be provided by the Beartla Ó Flatharta Céilí Band, All-Ireland Champions at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2024.
The reception will be addressed by President Higgins, with a response from Professor Ciarán Benson. The publication in 1979 of Ciaran Benson’s framework document, ‘The Place of the Arts in Irish Education’ prompted a discussion on the role of education in involving young people in the arts, and the report provided the first blueprint for the arts in Irish education.
This year will be President Higgins’ final St Patrick’s Day as President. Earlier this weekend, the President issued his annual St Patrick’s Day message, where he thanked the Irish people for the trust they have placed in him over the last 14 years and said that it has been the greatest honour and privilege to serve them.
The full text of the President’s St Patrick’s Day message is available at https://president.ie/en/diary/details/president-marks-st-patricks-day-2025