Staff thanked for major clean up operation after more than 500k visitors celebrate St Patrick in Dublin

DUBLIN City Council has thanked the “hard-working waste management staff” who cleared up the mess left behind following the city’s busiest weekend of the year.

Over the course of the St Patrick’s weekend, more than 500,000 extra visitors made their way to Dublin city centre, the Council confirmed this week.

Victoria Smurfit was grand marshal for the Dublin St Patrick’s parade

Such volume of visitors meant the local authority had a non-stop waste management service in place.

“Dublin City Council would like to thank all its hard working Waste Management staff after their busiest weekend of the year,” they said in a statement.

Some 500,000 spectators attended the St Patrick’s Parade in Dublin on Monday, March 17

“From Friday night at 10pm to 6am Tuesday morning, we had 442 staff working in the city centre on rotating shifts to ensure there was no gap in service,” they confirmed.

“As St Patrick’s Day fell on a Monday this year, it was the busiest weekend of the year for the Waste Management department and a number of extra shifts were in operation to ensure a first class street cleaning service was provided on a 24 hour basis,” they added.

Core tasks over the weekend included “continuously emptying 684 litter bins, manually and mechanically sweeping footpaths, mechanically sweeping road channels, Litter Wardens on patrol and a comprehensive wash programme” the council explained.

A 24-hour rolling clean-up operation was in place in place in Dublin city centre over St Patrick’s weekend

The St Patrick’s Festival began on March 14 and ended on Monday, March 17  where the annual St Patrick’s Day parade brought more than 500,000 spectators to the city’s streets.

For 2025 the parade was led by grand marshal Victoria Smurfit.

Revellers were out in force to celebrate Ireland’s national day

The Rivals actor, who has featured in the likes of Ballykissangel, Once Upon a Time and Marcella, said the role was “a dream come true”.

President Michael D Higgins and wife Sabina were special guests at the parade, which will be the last celebrated by President Higgins as head of state.