Author page

17th annual Brussels Saint Patrick’s Europe Day Parade of the Nations & Regions:

Sunday 16th March 2025

Concept 2025 Submitted to Brussels City Council

The 17th of March is the national holiday of Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in every corner of the world and parades take place in over 140 cities annually where Irish communities have settled.

These global celebrations are symbolic of the impact that a small country has had through the movement of its people.

The parade is centrally important as it brings different aspects of Irish art, music, and culture out into the public sphere and invites everyone, Irish or not, to celebrate positive values of inclusion, openness, and community.

For Brussels, the parade highlights the city’s position as a diverse, international capital and strengthens the bonds between two small European countries with a lot of shared history. To understand the history of Belgium down through the centuries, is to understand the history of the Irish in Belgium.

The Parade is the perfect platform to showcase all that the Brussels Capital has to offer in terms of its rich and varied architecture, cultural attractions, museums, art galleries, historic buildings, and its hospitality with a wide choice of hotels and enticing travel concessions.

All this is enhanced by the impressive choice of restaurants with international cuisine.

On Sunday 16 March 2025, the Irish in Europe Association (International) organise their 17th annual Brussels Saint Patricks Day Parade of the Nations & Regions in the historic City Centre for the eight time that marks the completion
of the streets works that allow more of its historic streets in the city centre to be pedestrianised, safer and more event and visitor friendly.

In recognition of Brussels being the capital of Belgium, Flanders, and the European Union, we aim to have our Parade, as in New York, to be truly a ´Melting Pot´ Parade of many cultures that the Irish bring together for one day in the year, invite everyone to ‘´Wear the Green´– the symbolic colour of Ireland ´and be Irish on the day.

It is for this reason that our multicultural Parade in Brussels aims to be a Parade of the Nations & Regions.

Having the Parade in the City Centre for the eight time and with more participation from the Regions will allow us to grow gradually our small Parade into the biggest Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on Continental Europe by the time Belgium celebrates its 200th anniversary.

Ireland´s relationship with what is now Belgium dates to 563 AD that marks the beginning of the Irish missionary and scholastic period in Europe which laid the foundations of the university system in Europe as we know it today.

Our Parade will again be a historical stroll of discovery that will not only celebrate Irish culture but also help promote the architectural heritage of Brussels.

Many people in Belgium and around the world will learn, from the Parade publicity about the Brussels of the past and present, its little-known side- streets and cobbled squares bedecked by its century’s old monuments.

Along the Parade route, we will embrace the stories of the past, the local customs, and the traditions of the historic streets. As an evolution of these stories, we will weave in the Irish story to create new Irish traditions and ceremonies that will become the Brussels stories of tomorrow and for generations to come.

This year, we again will continue to promote Brussels as a retail and hospitality centre. More shopping arcades will be illuminated in green over the weekend and more shops and restaurants will have Irish Green Window displays along the route of the Parade for Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.

Brussels hosts the only Saint Patrick’s Day Parade outside of Ireland on an Irish surface and /or longest Irish surface (Kilkenny Stone owned by Belgian Company) and to have the Parade Review is from the oldest building in the
world to have a review of a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade 2025 Parade Grand Marshal.

The 2025 Grand Marshal is Frank Schwalba-Hoth, German national based
in Brussels for over 30 years. Frank has been selected for his commitment to having a ‘Green environment’
and to cycling and well-being. He is also being recognised for his outstanding contribution to integration in Brussels. Frank will help promote our cycling year theme and help to grow the relationship between Ireland and Belgium with emphasis on cycling holidays in Ireland and Belgium.

Irish Village Project. Frank Schwalba

The Irish in Europe Association Year Theme for 2025 is:
‘The Joy of Cycling in Ireland, in Europe and around the World is the joy of living’’
and it was agreed to recognise a village/town/region in Ireland that has made contribution to cycling that would be recognised as a partner region and be promoted in the years ahead by the Irish in Europe Association and that would also be
afforded the honour of presenting the Shamrock Bowl to the City of Brussels.

Learn more about Frank here

Carrick-on-Suir Shamrock Bowl 2025

Carrick-on-Suir often referred to as Ireland’s spiritual home of Irish Cycling is to present Shamrock Bowl to City of Brussels. In cycling, 1988 Vuelta a España champion Sean Kelly and ten-time GrandTour stagewinner Sam Bennett are both from the town. The town is home to the Carrick Wheelers cycling club. Carrick-on-Suir (Irish: Carraig na Siúire, meaning ‘rock of the
Suir’) lies on both banks of the River Suir and is situated in the south-easterncorner of County Tipperary, 21 km east of Clonmel and 27 km northwest of Waterford.

The Suir Blueway runs for 53km in an east-west direction from Carrick-on-Suir to Cahir via Clonmel. The route is made up of a walking/ cycling trail for 21km which runs from Carrick-on-Suir to Clonmel and a further 32km of waterway along the River Suir. Running through the rich valley of the River Suir and the surrounding pasturelands of the Golden Vale, the Suir Blue Way trail provides wonderful views of some of Ireland’s most beautiful countryside.

Most Belgians would be aware of the song. ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’. It was a special marching song for the 210.000 Irish soldiers who volunteered in WW1 to help liberate Belgium. Soldiers identified with the song’s theme of being far from home and loved ones. It should be noted that Corporal Ernest Edward Thomas with Tipperary roots while serving with the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards fired the first shot of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War in the defence of Belgium, at 7:00 a.m. on 22 August 1914, in an engagement against German troops outside Mons.

For the 2025 Parade, we continue the following ceremonies:
Parade though Galeries Royales,
Brussels for Good Luck Irish Ceremony at Everard t´Serclaes Monument
Review of Parade at Grand Place – Presentation of the Shamrock bowl to the
city of Brussels, playing of the Irish,
Belgian and European Union National Anthems.
Door of Welcomes Ceremony
Annual Irish Toast to the health of the Bourgmestre (not forgetting a birthday
toast to make the Bourgmestre’s birthday on the 18 March!

The Irish in Europe Association (International) aisbl (IEAI) was established in Belgium in 2011 with its European HQ in Brussels. It incorporates the organisational Committee of the Brussels Saint Patrick’s Day Parade of the Nations & Regions that organised the first Parade in 2009 in Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark.

The main function of the Irish in Europe Association is to support Irish emigrants, connect and engage with the world-wide Irish Diaspora living and working in Europe and to promote Irish culture, inter-state trade, community- building and micro-integration through a network of Chapters in Europe.

It also manages the Irish in Europe Cultural Exchange programme between Ireland and Belgium. It has three exhibitions of Brussels on tour in Ireland in association with the Paul Hankar Institute of Brussels: Brussels Like a Tree, Art Nouveau Art Deco and the Treaty of Rome.

These exhibitions of Brussels not only assist in the promotion of Brussels as a holiday destination but also help to grow cultural and trade relations between Ireland and Belgium.

irish.in.europe.brussels@gmail.com

Objectives

*Recognising the Contribution of Cycling to Civic Society.
*Promoting Cycling holiday destinations in Ireland and Belgium.
*Supporting the Ryan Air route between Cork and Belgium.
*Building on the historic links between Ireland and Belgium

The Irish in Europe Association Year Theme for 2025 is:
‘The Joy of Cycling in Ireland, in Europe and around the World is the joy of living’’

Unlike Ireland, Belgium is a very cycle friendly country, and we seek to recognise the contribution of Cycling to Civic Society and how it helps promote wellbeing and integration in addition to helping the environment.

In the age of remote working, we want to encourage more people to spend time with other people, getting out of the house and have more social interaction not only in Belgium but also in Ireland with Belgium as a cycling role model.

Furthermore, we want to highlight the role that cycling clubs, group rides, and charity events play in providing opportunities for socialisation and community building among cyclists, and how riders can maximise these opportunities to widen social circles and deepen their relationships with fellow cyclists and forge new connections.

We want existing cyclists and cycle clubs to reach out to bike owners to participate in beginner friendly rides and events.

Parade Route