WATCH Hundreds of UL students bring energy and show diversity in the 2024 St Patrick’s Day Parade

2024 University of Limerick St Patrick’s Day Parade Group – International and local students came together to immerse themselves in Ireland and Limerick culture while sharing their own backgrounds on Sunday, March 17, 2024. Picture: Krzysztof Luszczki/ilovelimerick

University of Limerick (UL) showcased its diversity and brought energy to the 2024 St Patrick’s Day Parade as the UL Parade group marched their way through Limerick

More than 400 international and local students joined together to immerse themselves in Ireland and Limerick’s culture while sharing their own backgrounds at this year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade.

The theme of this year’s Limerick St. Patrick’s Festival was ‘Limerick: A Different Kind of Energy,’ which encapsulates the city and county’s constant evolution, where past and present combine to generate Limerick’s unique energy.

The group of UL students, alumni, and staff brought a different kind of energy to this year’s parade bringing “different experiences, different energy, different practices” to the celebrations.

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“I’m extremely proud,” UL President, Kerstin Mey told I Love Limerick, she continued, “St. Patrick’s Day is about being Irish, associated with Ireland, living in Ireland, and there’s a huge energy in line with the theme of St. Patrick’s Day parade here today. So I’m so proud of all our students, of the energy they bring to the city; of all our staff, the ideas they have to bring to the university and Limerick and the region.”

Speaking about the diverse student body and staff, the UL President said, “Migrants bring with them different experiences, different energy, different practices, and as we can demonstrate through the President’s Volunteer Awards or through our MSC in Global Minds, fantastic engagement practices and ideas come from them and enrich the country.”

Marching down O’Connell Street and Henry Street, the parade provided a platform for the University, its students, and staff to showcase their energy and enjoy the St Patrick’s Festival atmosphere.

The DraMakers, a theatre group based in Limerick provided unique theatrical experiences led by Aniela Nowak and the team of talented artists celebrating Polish heritage, language, and traditions.

Andrea LaTouche, UL Student Community Engagement Liaison Officer said, “We created a President Volunteer opportunity for the students to engage and become involved in the energy of today, St. Patrick’s Day. So we’ve got hundreds of students behind us, we’ve got a fantastic show for Limerick City and we just want to enjoy it. We’re having an after-party in the Limerick Market and it’s all about fun and about celebrating each other!”

Speaking about the diversity and energy experienced on the UL campus, Andrea said, “We have an abundance of energy in UL, to try and categorise the different types of energy in Limerick, it’s not possible.

“But it is very, very possible with our amazing students behind us, and we’re in for a fun day. Last year we did the parade and it was so well received, we thought bigger and better this year.”

History students from UL also walked in the parade alongside Jacobite re-enactors from En Garde Living History who joined the celebrations in the Milk Market for an unveiling of a Ken Coleman portrait of Patrick Sarsfield.

Students gathered in the Milk Market and were treated to traditional music, delicious food, ice cream, and an amazing atmosphere with art pieces on display and the unveiling of the Patrick Sarsfield Portrait with RE:story Limerick.

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Pictures: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick

Pictures: Richard Lynch/Krzysztof Łuszczki/Adriana Vitorino Trevizan/ilovelimerick