THE first Irish town has cancelled its St Patrick's Day parade over coronavirus concerns.

Youghal in Co Cork confirmed it had cancelled its scheduled parade - traditionally one of the biggest parades in the county outside Cork city.

More than 500,000 people are expected to visit Ireland for the lavish March 17 events - with pressure now mounting on whether such major public gatherings should take place given that Covid-19 has now reached community spread levels.

In a statement, the Youghal organisers said that: "With deep regret Youghal4All has found themselves in the position of having to cancel the St Patrick's Day parade due to our concerns about Covid-19."

The organisers said that while the event was an important part of the Youghal social and cultural calendar, public health and safety had to be paramount.

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"We would like to apologise to the public, clubs, groups, societies and businesses affected by this decision but we feel we must act in the best interests of public health and safety."

The decision by the Cork town will now increase pressure on other Irish towns and cities to reconsider their St Patrick's Day parades.

The Chinese Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong warned earlier this week that banning public gatherings was a key part of his country's response to the virus.

He warned that some "hard decisions" had to be made - and he urged Ireland to take a considered decision on the matter.

Online Editors