Float picture

Finally a photo. There are lots more but they are still trapped in the camera. The one here should give an impression of the engineering and creative feat that was the Smarmore Castle Saint Patrick's Day float.
A big thank you has to go out to everyone who was involved in getting it made and down to the parade in one piece. we didn't win a prize but it certainly added to the colour and fun of the day. Perhaps we should have had Saint Patrick in the jacuzzi at the back rather than a model. More pictures to follow.

Great float - still no pictures

We still have not been able to get our pictures from the Saint Patrick's day parade loaded onto the site yet. It's very frustrating as it is very difficult to describe the full impact of the float without the evidence to back it up. Our camera is refusing to transfer them across to the computer. Perhaps there is some domestic dispute going on between the devices that we cannot figure out. We have a "plan B" though so they will up by Tuesday at the latest. The parade itself was one of the biggest in Ardee for years. It took over two for it to wind its way through the town.

Ardee Parade Float

We finally made it to the Ardee parade yesterday. It was a fantastic experience. Technical difficulties all week with our camera have prevented me from uploading pictures of the work in progress. Hopefully they will be sorted by tomorrow and we may even have some video to show everything in motion as well. I would like to thank everyone who helped in any way with the preparation of the float. It was a fantastic team effort. The full story will be revealed later.

Float watch

Work continued apace today on the Saint Patrick's Day float. While the final design will have to remain under wraps for another day or two the key idea of Swim, Relax and Have Fun are starting to shine through. The float will incorporate all these themes. Good news on the weather front. Early forecasts suggest that next week will be mainly dry with not too much wind. Hopefully the parade next Tuesday will be bathed in sunshine.

How to build a Saint Patrick's Day float

The parade is one of the most enduring traditions associated with Saint Patrick's day. Practically every town in Ireland has one. This year Smarmore Castle will be entering a float into the Ardee parade.
You can follow out progress here over the next few days as our float takes shape. We have decided the focus will be our leisure club so the theme is Relax, Fet fit and Swim.

Saint Patrick and Smarmore

With Saint Patrick's day just over a week away its worth pointing out that our patron saint has a very close association with this area. Everyone is familiar with how Patrick lit the famous pascal flame on Slane hill to defy the pagan High King of Ireland at Tara.

Slane Hill is only about 12 miles from here and does offer incredible views of all the surrounding countryside stretching over beyond Tara on one side and the Irish sea in the other direction. Smarmore Castle is located on the old road that stretches from Slane to Ardee and this was the road that Saint Patrick travelled on his epic journey from Slane to Armagh.

Get close to Irish crafts

If you have every been interested in getting a flavour of the range of crafts to be found in this region then it is worth paying a visit to a special "Meet the Makers" day that will be taking place at the Highland's Gallery, St. Laurence Street, Drogheda next Saturday (March 7th). You will be able to meet some of the region's top designer-makers, see their latest creations and pick up a bargain from their last season’s collection. The event is being organised by Louth Craftmark and is part of the Louth Enterprise Board's enterprise week 2009.