Liverpool's St Patrick's Day Parade 2026 - Part 1
Report by Ibrahim Anasimone

WHILE St Patrick's Day is a widely celebrated holiday across the world with the underlying theme of honouring Irish culture, heritage and drinking Guinness, many forget it originated as a:- 17th Century religious Feast Day for the Patron Saint of Ireland.

The day, which commemorates how St Patrick introduced Christianity in the 5th Century, is celebrated on the 17 March, the Anniversary of his death.

On this day, millions of people dress up in green clothing and paint shamrocks on their faces, to pay tribute to the British saint.

At age 16, St Patrick was kidnapped and enslaved in Ireland, but managed to escape and returned to convert the Irish to Christianity.

Before he died, he established:- Churches, Monasteries and Schools in Ireland, and used a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Many say that he also drove snakes out of Ireland, but for many, this was a euphemism for driving out pagan practices in the country.

Due to Liverpool's position as the closest major port to Ireland, the City has a massive Irish community which greatly increased during the Great Famine in the 1800s.

Liverpool therefore takes its:- 'St Paddy's Day' festivities very seriously, and with dozens of Irish bars and pubs in the City Centre alone, the boost that this day brings to the local economy is something that every business owner dreams of.

This week's celebration marked the 10 Year Anniversary of Liverpool's St Patrick's Day Parade, and the streets were drowned in a sea of green throughout the day.

The Parade started at:- 3 pm, in front of the Old Irish Centre Building, on Mount Pleasant, where the drummers set off the festivities, and circled around the street of the City Centre, with more people joining the Parade as it went on.

Following along were the bagpipe players, who were dressed in kilts, and accompanying them were hundreds of people holding up their Irish flags proudly, for all to see.

The marching bands, passers-by and University Students waving from their accommodation windows, were all contributors to the incredible atmosphere that filled the air on the cheerful day.

So, with 1 St Patrick's Day filling the streets, and cups, of everyone in Liverpool, how would the City cope with 2? Please do let us know!

Several historians believe that there were 2 St Patricks in Ireland, both working towards the same cause, and that perhaps the elder one acted as a mentor to the more famous saint, who mainly taught within Northern Ireland. Although there is large debate on whether Saint Palladius, the first saint, ever existed, some historians believe that he taught Christianity in Scotland, and stayed there, after leaving Ireland.

Unfortunately, due to the many different variations of his Palladius' life, the possibility of him receiving his own holiday is miniscule, giving Liverpudlians a chance to sober up before the next holiday comes around.

These are some of the photos we took on the day and Part 1 of our video coverage, and more on the following page within this edition... Our full Parade video will be added in the next part, in our next Edition. The photos on this page are taken by both:- Ibrahim Anasimone and Patrick Trollope.

Why not test you Liverpool Irish History Knowledge and also learn some new facts on our dedicated page within our History Section, on Mersey Reporter, by clicking on here now!

What are your thoughts on this Parade? Did you go to watch it? Please do let us know as we love to hear your views by emailing our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter.