SEMO Marching Band selected for 2028 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — The Southeast Missouri State University Marching Band will take its Redhawk spirit overseas after being selected to perform in the 2028 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin.

The parade is part of Ireland’s annual St. Patrick’s Festival.

The band earned the invitation following an extensive application and selection process. Its submission included recent performance videos, outside letters of recommendation and detailed information about the band, its uniforms and performance plans.

The application was reviewed by the St. Patrick’s Festival Creative and Development team and its music consultant. Parade space is limited, and applicants must meet established performance standards.

“We are so honored and humbled by this invitation,” said Dr. Jim Daughters, SEMO associate professor of music and director of bands. “This is a bucket-list trip for so many, and I’m excited that we get to share who we are as a band and University with the world.”

For many participating students, the trip will mark their first experience traveling internationally. Daughters said some students have never flown or traveled far outside Missouri.

“There is something transformational about experiencing another country and culture firsthand,” he said. “The food is different, the signs are different, the history is different, even the way you move through everyday life is different. You begin to understand that the world is much bigger than the place you know. And they get to experience all of that together while doing something they love. I think this will be one of those experiences they remember for the rest of their lives.”

The trip will also give the band an opportunity to represent SEMO, Cape Girardeau and the surrounding region before an international audience.

“We know that every time we put on the SEMO uniform, we are serving as ambassadors for the University,” Daughters said. “That is true whether we are performing here at Houck Stadium, traveling across the region or marching through the streets of Dublin. We represent Southeast Missouri State University, our community, our region and our state in the way we perform, the way we carry ourselves and the way we treat people.”