A little bit of context

If you are Irish, or you have been living in Ireland for a while now, let me ask you a question: How many Peruvians do you know? 2? 1? None? Well, I am not surprised by that answer. 

One of the things that still surprises me about living in Ireland is that every time an Irish person asks me where I am from they always tell me “You are the first Peruvian I have ever met” and even though that’s always flattery there is a reason behind the low number of Peruvian Immigrants in Ireland. 

Unlike any other country in Latin America, Peru and Colombia are the only countries that require a visa to enter Ireland. In the latest Census, there were only 1186 Peruvians in Ireland, including those who have citizenship of other European cities. That was in 2022, so those numbers may have changed in 2 years but not significantly. 

St. Patrick’s Parade 2024

Now you might be wondering why I am talking about this, well even though there are few Peruvians in Ireland we have been lucky enough to be given a place in the St. Patrick’s Parade 2024. Yes! It’s the second time Peru Fusion has been invited to participate but this time we will be representing our country… AND WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER!!!

Last year we were part of the parade as part of the community groups, everyone had a special character and we were the hyenas and demons. The experience was so good that we decided to take part in it again. Now what will be different is that you can expect to see our traditional costumes on display.

We don’t want to spoil your experience by telling you exactly what we are planning but what I can tell you is that it will be mind-blowing! We went from 10 people last year to 40 this year! We will be wearing costumes from the three regions of Peru: Coast, Highlands and the Jungle, so don’t get scared if you see a snake around.

Of course not all volunteers will be Peruvians but the fact that other nationalities wanted to be part of this helping us represent Peru just shows how close the Latin American Community in Ireland is.

This year we will have the support of Peruvians, Bolivians, Chileans, Colombians, Argentinians and of course Irish people who want to represent Peru. No wonder why we are called Peru Fusion, after all. The parade will have more than half a million spectators, 18 artistic groups, 14 marching bands from Ireland, North America and France and more than 4,000 participants. 

A photoshoot we will never forget

And to add the cherry on top of the cake, last week we were featured in 13 news sites, 3 printed newspapers and on national TV thanks to a photoshoot we did for the announcement of the St. Patrick’s Parade, Grand Marshall.

Every year, an Irish celebrity is chosen to lead the parade and this time, Patrick Kielty, the well-known presenter and host of the famous television program The Late Late Show, was the chosen one. 

The photoshoot was taken at St. Patrick’s Park in Dublin 8 and different community groups were invited. It was a pleasure for us to share the spotlight with Alma Boliviana, a Bolivian Dance Group and the Indian Community.

Peru Fusion members who were able to attend the photoshoot were also from different nationalities. Cristian Parra (Chile), Eva Andrade (Peru), Joseph Nugent (Ireland), Claudia Grandez (Peru) , Diego Ichazo (Bolivia), Alicia Anev (Colombia) and Patricia Rojas (Peru). 

So, if you live in Dublin we look forward to seeing you in the audience. It starts at 12pm, but we highly recommend to get there way before that so you can have a good spot.

If you are not in Ireland, the parade will be broadcast worldwide on RTE Player, on March 17th from 12 pm Irish Time. So you have no excuse to miss this amazing event!