St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 and is a holiday that commemorates Saint Patrick, a missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in A.D. 400s.
In the past, St Patrick’s Day was a major event in Ipswich with parades, sports days and dinners being held to mark the occasion. Many of the local shops would close for the day and residents would take part in the festivities. After an early Mass was attended at St. Mary’s Church, the parade would start with the mounted police heading the procession and would wind through the main streets of Ipswich and finish at the show grounds.
A lot of the local businesses, clubs and schools would participate in the parade and the procession line was sometimes about a quarter of a mile long. The Harp of Erin Hotel (now the Metropole), the Ipswich Railway Band, boys from the Christian Brothers College, St. Mary’s Convent girls and members from the Irish society as well as decorated vehicles were some who participated on the day. A lot of hard work was put into decorating the Irish-themed festive floats that would parade the streets. After the parade, sports activities such as running races, tug-o-war, high jump, cycle and pony races, bending and melon races were held at the show grounds. Sometimes a football game or a race meet were held on this day as a celebration.
A banquet was often held in St. Mary’s Presbytery with the room being decorated gaily in evergreens and such, and the tables filled with large amounts of food and beverage. A concert was put on in St. Mary’s hall after dinner with large attendances as members of the public and local Catholic Students sang.
St Patrick’s Day Parade, Ipswich, 1930s – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich