 and you're very welcome back and there was a sound of who was oh yes candy I had to check that and going up the country and in the studio with me now I'm delighted to have Tony Forrester CEO of the letter Kenny chamber Tony you're very welcome thank you so much and St. Patrick's Day will be jolly and gay as the song goes and it's great now to have that to look forward to the long weekend as well as live music back and everything back again it's really strange Jane that we're here now two years later talking about something happy and cheerful for St. Patrick's Day you know we had two years where one year we didn't do anything particularly last year we had a yeah we had a music with the RCC and we had Keith going up and down the street in the virtual parade but and we did light up letter Kenny Green and that worked really well but this year it's just everybody's so keen to get back to the a normal parade we're very excited about it and you can see you know we're getting in the spirit all and as you say it's two years and like when it when the initial lockdown came it was for two weeks and people said oh two weeks it'll be grand everything and then it went on for the summer and then we were back into the second lockdown and it just seemed to be never ending but now there is light at the end of the tunnel there certainly is um this is a I suppose it's an usual one because we've got it to Thursday so and we've got that extra bank holiday the government gave us because of Covid and so it will be a fantastic weekend you know so we we would encourage anybody who's coming to letter Kenny that weekend just come out and have the parade with us and enjoy it and we think the hotels will mostly be full and I suppose St. Patrick's Day parade is always for us the beginning of nearly the season of the of the year you know so people start getting out again and this year more than ever you know they'll be we hope they'll be out we've got loads of um there's a wee bit of difference this year we're putting the stage up on at the market center up at the market square and we're going to have music and entertainment from about half one so people we're asking people to come along and enjoy it like a concert you know just a bit of fun we'll have some cultists we'll have um sailor bell yeah joe it's sailor bell and um and some dancing and then the parade will start at three o'clock um with all our normal people in it so we've got loads of dancing groups coming along and they were just delighted to get back out again um we weren't sure when we started this whether people would want to but I think as things have got easier for people they're quite keen to come out I suppose for maybe the older group there there's still a little bit of caution there but I think the majority of people just want to get to get out and you know I think um it's very hard to escape the Omicron variant but at least we have the the um the knowledge that well it's not as deadly it's not it's not it's your the isolation I think it's really the main drawback I think so I think I think that's it and I mean we we are very mindful of the people who will are still are vulnerable and they don't want to come out but um remember letter county main streets really quite long so there's loads of spaces where you could probably you know distance yourself from other people but we know that families are keen to come out and the more actually the interest in one is the more dance grips we have with young children the more families we see so we're hoping this year people will come out what we suppose need at the moment is more more grips to apply to us you know just to let us know they're they're interested we'll send them out of form and we'll get them signed up for the parade um and then it all kind of works from there you know so it's it's a bit of a logistic thing for us at the moment but the more we can encourage groups community groups any bands out there that we haven't heard off to come along and we'd love to see as much music and dancing as we can and if people are listening out there now and they want to get in touch to enter a float or to enter a band do they contact the chamber office yeah just ring the chamber on um 0749124866 or email us at info info letter candy chamber calm um or even through social media and we'll send them out of form and and tell them what the arrangements are so it works quite well you know um everybody has to have the form built in and a little bit of insurance details but the ones who've done it for years know how to work it and and will come into us so we're dead king on anybody who you know even a group who we have intercultural platform or sorry intercultural forum are bringing together a group and we have um pine hill dance studio just from around the corner here and um zone of dance so they're all going to bring loads of color and the more we can get of that the better as you say it's not only just to look forward to the return of live music but it's uh it's the return of spring and it's so good for the local economy when people come into the town stay in the town because Eric and he has so much to offer and it's a real opportunity to showcase what what's on offer it really is and what this been a long long weekend as everybody's calling it um you know people we we know people arrived at the parade and they've never been out for lunch beforehand they maybe stay along afterwards we know we know people are out in bars and restaurants all over the place and we think it'll last the whole weekend uh I think Ireland will be celebrating this year maybe more so than they ever did before I think so I think there's a lot to celebrate yeah and we were saying you know you you forget nearly that these two years were restricted it sounds stupid because we were all restricted but um we you nearly it's two years past yeah and you think well do we have a parade last year I think it's very hard to differentiate between one year and two years yes does that happen 2020 or 2021 you know and I would acknowledge we have a lot of businesses give us support for the parade as well so um we can't do the parade without business sponsorship and we've got a huge amount of interest in that as well but again if anyone wants to to support the parade we're willing to to work with them in terms of how we get the sponsorship what we normally do every year is we we get a sign a prop when we go out so anybody gives us some sponsorship we go out take a picture and put it up in our social media so everybody gets acknowledged it's a real I think Patrick's Day parade while the chamber might run it it's a real community event it's not a um it's not a uh a business event as such but it's a community event that brings a huge amount to Letter County and I suppose the one thing that you can't control is the weather uh Tony and hopefully we'll have a lovely a lovely a dry day I think that's what just people want all we need is dry um we don't want it to rain in the morning at all if we can possibly avoid it so I don't know if anybody knows whoever organized the weather um could they please do something for us um I have to say I've I've been here 14 years we haven't been we haven't been rained off in 14 years any man who hasn't been heavy rain there's the odd messily rain but I had actually one year when you wouldn't have needed a coat it was so warm so fingers crossed fingers crossed and remember that the late Barnett Doherty was director of Letter County Folk Festival for years and years and years and we thought that he had a landline to heaven because it never rained or it very rarely rained so maybe if you could say a wee prayer and get Barney to have a word off above me we know some of his family so maybe we just need to go to them and get them to pray as well well I've just got the number here too it's 07491 24866 if anybody wants to enter a float or you can email info at lettercandychamber.com tonic so fantastic and hopefully it all goes well and weather permitting and I'm so looking forward to myself just to get out and and play music listen to music and enjoy other people's company