There will be no St Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin again in 2021 due to Covid-19.
Parades across the country were one of the first events to fall foul of the pandemic in 2020 and it's not expected normality will have returned in March of this year.
St. Patrick’s Festival itself will return in 2021, running from March 12th to 17th inclusive but the presentation will be through ‘SPF TV’, a St. Patrick’s Festival TV Channel.
A spokesperson for the festival said: "While we cannot gather on the streets for the St. Patrick’s Festival Parade this March 17th, we are reimagining how we bring to life the heart and soul of the national Parade, through spectacle, marching bands, pageantry and ceremony, inviting our audiences to participate virtually and enjoy safely from their homes until we can come together again.
"We are delighted to partner with RTÉ this year in developing the successful #RTÉVirtualParade initiative, and will be announcing details of this in the coming weeks.
"The RTÉ / SPF Virtual Parade will provide a fun and safe ‘at home’ parade alternative for all the nation to enjoy on March 17th.
"Details on St. Patrick’s Festival 2021, SPF TV and RTÉ / SPF Virtual Parade will be announced over the coming weeks."
