GAA winning captains to head St Patrick's parade

To mark the GAA’s 125th anniversary, the four captains of last year’s senior cup championship winning sides will jointly marshal the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin later this month.

Tyrone football captain Brian Dooher, Kilkenny hurling captain Henry Shefflin, Cork football captain Angela Walsh and Cork camogie captain Cathriona Foley, and the four cups, will lead the procession through the capital on Tuesday March 17th, organisers announced today.

More than 500,000 people are expected to attend the culmination of this year's five-day St Patrick's festival which will be headed by a specially-commissioned GAA pageant, entitled "Monumental Moments".

GAA president Nicky Brennan said: “The GAA are very proud to be leading the 2009 St Patrick’s Day parade. It is an honour and is fitting as part of our 125 years celebrations.”

“Our role in promoting gaelic games, Irish culture and a sense of identity and place is each community will be shown to a worldwide audience and we are very proud to be part of this celebration.”

This year's festival runs from March 12th-17th, and up to 4,000 performers and a million people are expected to participate in music, street theatre, carnivals, comedy, street performances and treasure hunts. The 2009 Skyfestwill be held along the banks of the River Suir in Waterford City.

Previous grand marshals have included Eamonn Coughlan (2008), Mícheál Ó'Muircheartaigh (2007) and the late Ronnie Drew (2006). In 2005, Ireland international aid agencies, Concern, Goal, Irish Red Cross and Trocaire, also co-marshalled the event.