IT has been recommended that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council approve additional funding of £4,000 for the delivery of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Enniskillen.
In a report to the February meeting of the local authority’s Regeneration and Community Committee, council officers said the extra money for Project St. Patrick would go towards the delivery of an arts programme, workshops and floats.
The report stated that the Project St. Patrick committee, which oversees the Enniskillen celebrations on March 17 each year, had informed council officers that they had not been successful in obtaining Arts Council funding of £5,000 for 2017 and this would “adversely affect participant experience and the quality of the parade”.
Requesting additional support from the local authority, the Project St. Patrick committee stated that an extra £4,000 would enable the delivery of an arts programme, additional workshops and parade floats.
The report presented to the committee stated that the extra money could be funded through a projected underspend in the council’s Large Festivals and Events budget for 2016/17.
Analysing the economic impact of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the council area, the report stated that the annual parades in both Enniskillen and Omagh attracted around 15,000 spectators and had the potential to have a “significant positive impact” on the local economy.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here