Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh
(right), presides over the St. Patrick Day with Father Michael Picharn
Jaiseri (left).
Derek Franklin &
Vittaya Yoondorn
It may be Thailand, but everyone in Pattaya was Irish for a day as the
city celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a parade and cultural festival.
The third Pattaya St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place on the afternoon of
Sunday the 17th of March and this event now has a permanent place on
Pattaya’s social calendar.
A week before the main event, on Sunday the 10th March, a Gaelic Football
and tug-of-war competition took place on the playing fields at Arunothai
School. The big surprise of the day was when the young children from the
Father Ray Drop-In Center beat a team of international volunteers in the
tug-of-war competition, though there were twice as many children pulling the
rope.
Derrick Kane, organizer of
the event, gives instructions to St. Patrick.
A group of musicians arrived from the Emerald Isle and
performed at various Irish bars throughout the city as well as giving a
special show at the Pattaya School for the Blind which saw the students
jigging along to the music.
As in previous years, the parade started at Alcazar Theatre where Deputy
Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, officials from the Father Ray Foundation and
Y.W.C.A. Bangkok-Pattaya Center Chairwoman Praichit Jetpai opened the
festivities, before the parade made its way along Beach Road, finishing on
the grounds of School No. 8.
Marching bands from several local schools, dance troupes, Brazilian dancers,
tourists, ex-pats, business owners, government officials and hundreds of
local Thais all joined together with the local Irish community to ensure the
parade was much bigger than in 2012. Along the way every car, person and
motorcycle seemed to be decked out in green.
As well as having as much fun as possible there was a serious side to the
event and all money raised was donated to the Father Ray Foundation.
Children and students from all the projects managed by the Foundation took
part in the parade and a total of almost seven hundred thousand baht was
raised.
Father Peter meets Saint
Patrick.
The Father Ray Foundation
float.
Paul Strachan (2nd right)
parades with and Joe Cox (right) and the Defense International Security
Services committee.
Pattaya Marriott Resort and
Spa sent beautiful girls to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
An Irish band plays Irish
music to get everyone in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day.
Chairman of the organizing
committee, Father Michael Picharn Jaiseri.
On St. Patrick’s Day everyone
is Irish.
Visitors show how much they
enjoy St. Patrick’s Day.
The beautiful Brazilian dancers from Zico’s
restaurants joined the marchers.
The Father Ray Drop-In Center, winners of the
tug-of-war competition.
The Gaelic Football players.
Centara Grand Mirage Beach
Resort Pattaya - winners of the best decorated float trophy.
Parade organizer, Steven
Deveraux, decided to ride rather than march.
Children from Redemptorist
Foundation perform some “Irish” dance moves outside Alcazar Theatre on St.
Patrick’s day before the parade began.
We all love St. Patrick’s Day.
Along the way every car,
person and motorcycle seemed to be decked out in green.
Brazilians and Irish, two
groups of people who know how to have a good time.
