Soccer trailblazer to lead Dundalk's St Patrick's Day parade

Soccer trailblazer and Dundalk native Paula Gorham has been announced as the grand marshal for the town’s St Patrick’s Day parade.

Paula played on Ireland’s first ever women’s football team and scored three goals in the team’s first international game, which was against Wales on 13 May 1973.

She appeared 11 times for the Irish women’s team, but it was only decades later that she received her first official cap from the FAI and some national recognition for the incredible achievements that she and the other women had made possible.

In 2021, Paula was inaugurated into the FAI Hall of Fame, alongside Johnny Giles.

Now, just over 50 years on from that first game in Wales, Paula will proudly lead the Dundalk St Patrick’s Day parade.

It comes just months after the County Museum hosted an exhibition about her achievements.

Paula said: “I am delighted to have been asked to be the grand marshal at the Dundalk St Patrick’s Day parade and it is an honour to be recognised like this in my hometown.

“I am really looking forward to it and to seeing everyone come out and enjoy the day on March 17th.”

Chairperson of the committee, Cllr. Conor Keelan, said: “We are really pleased that Paula agreed to be the grand marshal for this year’s parade in Dundalk.

“She was a true trailblazer and it is right that she is recognised and celebrated in her hometown.

“Paula is a perfect fit for this year’s theme of ‘Green Dream’ because she is someone who had, what seemed at the time, like an impossible dream but she made it come true.”

The parade, which will start at 1pm, will feature many local community and business organisations showcasing the very best that the town has to offer.

There will also be live music, and a free family fun zone, after the parade, so that families can spend more time in the town after the main event.

And following on from last year’s successful trial of the ‘quiet zone’ in Dublin Street, which allowed people with sensory issues to enjoy the parade without the noise, the committee has announced it will make a return in 2024.

Also coming back is the very popular wheelchair access viewing stand which gave wheelchair users a safe and elevated place to see the parade in all its glory.

The committee is chaired by Cllr. Keelan and includes Cllr. Maeve Yore, Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú, Shane McBride, Dagan Fleming, Anne Campbell, David Minto and Maria O’Toole.

Those who wish to enter the parade can do so through the website at www.stpatricksdaydundalk.ie by filling out the simple online form.