St. Patrick's Day Parade

Clara town has a long history of Parades. Beginning in 1976 when the late Martin Molloy, Bertie McMahon, Joe Keys, Catch Berry & John Bracken got together and decided to organise a Christmas parade for the children of the town before their annual Christmas party which, at the time took place on the parochial hall. The men borrowed a horse drawn wagon from the Sno-cream factory in Moate and constructed their very own “Wanderly Wagon!”
The Christmas parade was a huge success and was added to every year, with addition including floats based on the Muppet Show and The Hulk. The parades continued until 1982 and were even featured on RTE!  
The first St Patrick’s Day parade in Clara took place in 1983 under the guidance of Bertie McMahon and Clara Development Committee.  The parade continued every year until 2000, when Bertie McMahon retired from his role as co-ordinator and the parades stopped.
There was no St Patrick’s Day Parade in Clara until 2006, when Bertie McMahon once again took up his position of parade co-ordinator.
Since then the parade has grown from strength to strength with more floats being added every year. It is hoped that the tradition of the St. Patrick’s Day parade will be kept alive and the parade will continue working for Clara town.
The Clara Parade Committee would like to thank all the local businesses, residents and volunteers who work tirelessly to make the St. Patrick’s Day parade a success every year.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Bertie McMahon 086 163 8088