Over the last several weeks the Executive Committee of the United Irish Societies of Montreal have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely and have been in discussion with our partners and different levels of government on a daily basis. We have also been discussing the situation with our friends in Irish organizations across the globe and have learned a lot from their experiences. Our goal has been to make the best decision possible to mitigate concerns and to ensure our responsibilities have been met.

Montreal’s St Patrick’s Parade has been held consecutively since 1824 and the United Irish Societies have had the honour of hosting it since 1929. There is a responsibility to our members, our community and our history and ensure the continuity of this event and we take this responsibility very seriously.

With today’s press conference held by the Premier and in collaboration with the City of Montreal we have both deemed it in the best interests of health and safety, Parade participants, and the general public to postpone Montreal’s 197th St Patrick’s Parade. We will be sure to keep all informed of our future plans.

We thank our members, sister societies, and partners for their support and understanding and we wish you all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Please follow us on our social media account @uismtl and our website www.montrealirishparade.com for further updates over the coming days & weeks.