About the Festival

Ceiliúradh Domhanda ar EalaÍona, Cultúir agus Oidhreacht na hÉireann. 

The iconic National St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to the streets of Dublin on March 17, with more pageants, more marching bands and more participants than ever before!  

Through contemporary and traditional Irish arts, culture and heritage, the Festival will connect families, friends and communities across Ireland, and our global tribe of 80 million.  

Details of our full programme of events for 2023 will be coming soon, check back in here and keep an eye out on our social channels!

Team

Richard Tierney
CEO 

Anna McGowan  
DEPUTY CEO  

Karen Walshe  
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR  

Julia Dalton  
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS  

Mary Leane 
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER  

Tony Killeen 
HEAD OF PRODUCTION  

Neil Burke 
HEAD OF FESTIVAL QUARTER & COMMERCIAL EVENTS   

David ‘Spud’ Murphy 
PARADE DIRECTOR 

Ted Kavanagh  
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT  

Rachel Hopkins  
PAGEANT MANAGER 

Muirne Bloomer  
PARADE PAGEANT CHOREOGRAPHER

Ali Morris 
PROGRAMME MANAGER, SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER & MARCHING BANDS CO-ORDINATOR 

Callum Buchanan  
FESTIVAL QUARTER PROJECT MANAGER  

Steph Farrell  
PRODUCTION & LICENSING MANAGER  

Darren Murphy  
PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS COORDINATOR  

Pat Carey
HEAD OF MARKETING AND COMMS

Maria Buckey
BRAND AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER

Ciara Gannon
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER 

Alan Bourke Tuffy
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Adrianna Wrona
MARKETING EXECUTIVE 

Sylvia Omorodion
SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE

Milja Juretic 
TRADERS & BRAND MANAGER  

Bekah Molony 
FESTIVAL CONTENT PRODUCER 

Claire Sexton
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS

Arantxa Colomé 
HEAD OF FUNDRAISING & SPECIAL PROJECTS

Natasha Purtill  
PARTNERSHIPS ACCOUNT MANAGER & PARADE PAGEANT PRODUCER 

Rummy McCullagh 
PARTNERSHIP & ACTIVATION PROJECT MANAGER

Siobhán Buffini
HOSPITALITY MANAGER 

Dearbhail O’Sullivan  
BOX OFFICE MANAGER 

Katie Dalton
FRONT OF HOUSE & VISITOR EXPERIENCE COORDINATOR & DISABILITY OFFICER 

Camila Medeiros
PAGEANTS & COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECT COORDINATOR

Chloe Tully 
FESTIVAL QUARTER ASSISTANT 

Aaron Cleary & Stevie Taylor  
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Eimear Marron
PARTNERSHIP ACTIVATIONS PROJECT MANAGER  

Aiden Grennelle & Pete Reddy  
FESTIVAL DESIGN  

The Hive  
FESTIVAL PR 

Post Studio
WEBSITE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT
& ADDITIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

Festival Board

  • Maree Gallagher (Acting Chair)

    Maree Gallagher is a qualified solicitor specialising in EU and Irish regulatory law and is currently of Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP. Maree has been a Board member since June 2013 and is the Dublin Chamber of Commerce representative. Maree is currently in the role of Acting Chair and also a member of the Fundraising and Sponsorship sub-committee.

  • Stephen McNally (Acting Vice Chair)

    Stephen is the Deputy Chief Executive for Dalata Hotel Group since 2007 and has served as a Director of the Board of St. Patrick's Festival since October 2016. Stephen is a member of the Finance, Governance and Audit sub-committee. 

  • Orla Carroll

    Orla Carroll is Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland.  She joined Fáilte Ireland in 2008 after working for over 10 years in the Telecommunications Industry. 

  • Shane Clarke

    Shane Clarke is the Director of Corporate Services, Policy & Northern Ireland with Tourism Ireland. Previous roles Shane has held include Managing Director and Finance Director for M&P Sales and a General Manager for Diageo. Shane has been a Director on the Board for St. Patrick's Festival since January 2018. Shane is a member of the Finance, Governance and Audit sub-committee.

  • Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy

    Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy has served as Lord Mayor of Dublin and ex-officio member of the Board of St. Patrick’s Festival since June 2022. In June 2022, she was elected as the 354th Lord Mayor of Dublin. She is a member of the DCC Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) on Transport, sits on the Animal Welfare Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the Green Party. Councillor Conroy graduated with a degree in Business Studies from Dublin City University (DCU), and has been actively involved in her community since she was a teenager: leading youth groups, supporting people who live alone, serving on the committees of local community groups and campaigning on local issues.

  • Dermot Horan

    Dermot is the Director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at RTÉ, and Vice President EBU TV Committee. Dermot is a member of the Finance, Governance and Audit sub-committee.

  • Natalie McGuinness

    Natalie is CMO for Mason Hayes & Curran LLP in Europe and the USA. She also represents Dublin Chamber on the Dublin City Council Enterprise & Economic Development Strategic Policy Commission and on trade delegations to both London and Brussels. She is a three-time graduate of UCD with a BA, MBA, and a Diploma in Corporate Governance.

  • Eoghan O'Mara Walsh

    Eoghan is the CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), the representative body for Irish tourism and hospitality interests. Eoghan previously owned and managed O’Mara Travel Ltd, a leading tour operator; Heritage Island Ltd, a marketing company for visitor attractions; and O’Mara Consultancy Ltd, a tourism consultancy business. In his earlier career he was Procurement Executive with Diageo in London and Dublin. Eoghan has been CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) since September 2015.

  • Teresa Tully

    Teresa is a Director at Ernst & Young and joined the Festival Board in January 2016. She is an Associate Chartered Accountant and has served in an audit and advisory capacity on a diverse range of topics, including regulation implementation, technical accounting and internal control reviews. Teresa is Chair of the Finance, Governance and Audit sub-committee. 

Accessibility

It is vital to St. Patrick's Festival to welcome and facilitate our communities with disabilities and additional needs, so that all our people can fully participate in the St. Patrick's Festival Parade, Festival Quarter and various events.  

We are not yet perfect in delivering 100% inclusion but we are working hard to improve ourselves and to ensure we provide a safe and accessible experience wherever we can. On occasion, due to elements beyond our control such as location, terrain and content, the Festival has difficulty in providing a fully accessible experience. Please do get in touch with us and we will do all we can to assist and resolve with you. 

St. Patrick's Day Parade, Dublin 

We welcome all our citizens to enjoy the National St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin.  

If you, or a family member, a friend or a client are a wheelchair user, have impaired mobility or additional needs, we provide a number of options. 

There are three designated Accessible Viewing Areas that offer a safe and secure vantage point for the Parade. These areas are held for wheelchair users and provide more space and comfort to enjoy the Parade. 

Applications for accessible areas will open on Monday 23rd January.

If you or a family member, a friend or a client have a condition in which you require a more spacious area to view the Parade, our Priority Viewing Area may be an option, depending on your level of needs. This is a section with additional space along the Parade route. 

Applications for this area will be opening towards the end of January. 

Work with St. Patrick's Festival! 

St. Patrick's Festival is an inclusive, equal opportunities employer.  

The Festival aims to represent every Irish person, no matter what your background, race, gender identity, creed, no matter how you look or sound - if you're interested in us, we're interested in you. 

There are currently no live vacancies, but if you are interested in being considered for roles that might arise as we prepare for next year's Festival please send an email to info@stpatricksfestival.ie outlining your areas of interest and expertise.

Contact

Questions or inquiries?

Feel free to get in touch, we're here to help.

If you wish to give us feedback or make a complaint, please follow our complaints procedure here.

St. Patrick's Festival

Unit 1, Blackhall Green, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7, D07 NY07

Féile Pádraig

Aonad 1, Faiche an Halla Dubh, Plás an Halla Dubh, Baile Átha Cliath 7, D07 NY07

info@stpatricksfestival.ie

+353 1 604 0090