DNA Genealogy Conference

Irish Flag-Raising and the

St Patrick's Day Parade

At 12:20 pm, the Parade Grand Marshal Sen. Katherine Zappone, the Honorary Grand Marshal Róisín de Buitléar, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Senator Maria Cantwell, Congressman Jim McDermott, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, and many other dignitaries, will raise the Irish Tricolor in front of the King-County Administration Building on 4th Ave at Jefferson. 

That will be immediately followed by trumpeters playing the Irish and US National Anthems.

Then at 12:30 pm, the Marshals' whistles will sound to officially start Seattle's 43rd annual St Patrick's Day Parade. The parade heads north on 4th Ave to Westlake Park at Pine Street where the Reviewing Stand is located. 

While all marching groups must pre-register (see the current list of Parade Registrations), anybody with an Irish connection is invited to walk in the Parade without any pre-registration. Seniors and others are welcome to ride for free in the  "Seniors Shamrock Shuttle" which can be boarded at 4th Ave and James starting at 12 noon. 

At approximately 2:30 pm, Parade closing ceremonies will be held  in the Armory at the Seattle Center during the Irish Festival. 

Note that the Monorail will be free from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm for travel after the Parade from Westlake to the Seattle Center.

For more details, visit irishclub.org.

St Patrick's Day Dash

Friends of St Patrick 74th Annual Banquet

6:30 pm, Harbor Club, 801 2nd Ave, Seattle, on the 17th Floor of the Norton Building. A black-tie (optional) dinner and dance, it's the 74th Annual Banquet of the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle. The dinner and a short auction will raise funds for educational  scholarships to local institutions. Tickets are $125 per person (or a table of 10 for $1,000 if purchased by March 7) and include parking, the Irish Community Happy Hour (see above), wine with the meal and dancing afterwards. For tickets, call 425-821-3044, email Friends@irishclub.org, or visit fosp.org.

Saturday Noon - 6 pm

Sunday 10 am - 6 pm (8 hours) at the Seattle Center

NEW AT IRISH FESTIVAL 2014

• A demonstration of Glass Engraving on Saturday and Sunday by Ireland's premier glass artist, Róisín de Buitléar.
• Biotechnologist Dr. Tyrone Bowes presents an all-day Noon-5 pm workshop on Sunday on using commercial ancestral DNA testing to pinpoint a person's Irish and other ancestors.
• Seattle-based Irish-born photographer Rozarii Lynch has an exciting show titled "Connections", images that evoke the feeling of being Irish and connected to Ireland while living in Seattle.
• Custom Lego Display of the Battle of Clontarf! A tabletop display will attempt to recreate the epic 1014 battle between the army of Irish High King Brian Boru and that of the Vikings. The display also includes a children's playzone area.

Click here to see the Main Stage schedule of performances and the schedule of workshops and lectures on Irish history by Irish History Professor David McCourt, Irish Language with Liam Boyle, Ireland's Round Towers with Ari Hausler, Genealogy after the Famine with Jean Roth, John Cooper's collection of antique postcards and engravings, Charles Hadrann's collection of rare Irish maps and manuscripts, and much more.

On Sunday afternoon, a lucky winner will go home after winning two free trips to Ireland. You do not have to be present to win, but you must visit the Tangerine Travel booth in order to participate in the draw.

Irish Reels Film Festival

Noon - 5 pm Saturday and Sunday in one of the Armory Loft Rooms during the Irish Festival. Now in its 18th year, Irish Reels presents a wonderful collection of refreshing and exciting new works in Irish cinema. Free admission both days. For film details and to see the full schedule, visit irishreels.org.  

SPECIAL GUEST

Irish government Minister of State Denis "Dinny" McGinley will be a guest of honor at the Céili Mór on March 22 at Tacoma's Museum of Glass. McGinley is a TD (Teachta Dála or Member of Parliament) representing a Co. Donegal constituency. In 2011, he was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs and the islands. A native of Gweedore, Co. Donegal, he has been a TD since 1982. This will be his first ever visit to the Pacific Northwest.

For more details on any Irish Week event, email IrishWeek@irishclub.org, or visit

Click to see the Irish Week Program

Attracted by the wealth of the Irish monasteries and churches, the Viking invaders first appeared in Ireland in 795 and that was the beginning of more than two centuries of attack and invasion and suppression. By 1014, the Vikings were firmly planted in Ireland starting settlements that later became the cities of Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick. Dublin itself was a great trading center of the Viking world outside of Scandinavia. Brian Boru, the son of the King of Thomond in the south of Ireland, in 978 became King of Munster, and in 1002, he succeeded in uniting the other Irish kingdoms under himself as Ard Rí na hÉireann (High King of Ireland). The last holdouts against Brian's rule were the Vikings and their allies. The battle of Clontarf took place on 23rd April, 1014, and Brian Boru's victory resulted in permanently breaking the power of the Vikings in Ireland, although Brian himself was among those who died on the battlefield. After 1014, the remaining Vikings were soon thoroughly absorbed into the religious and political life of Ireland, adopting the Irish language and Irish customs, intermarrying and intermingling. The names McLoughlin and McIvor are among many Irish names derived from a combination of the Gaelic and the Norse.