NEW LONDON DUBLIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Out with the English, in with the Irish.
The annual change from New London to New Dublin took place Monday. It’s the start to a week of St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
The first thing visitors will notice is the signs have changed. For this week, the city of nearly 7,500 people will be known as New Dublin.
“We’re not sure how it started, at least none of the original members could tell me why it started,” said Ryan Lanning, president of the New Dublin Shamrock Club. “It’s just been a tradition for 38 years, we symbolically change the name of the town from New London to New Dublin. We have about seven signs we change.”
Each day of the week is themed. From Hooligan Day to Céili, special events celebrate Irish culture.
“Today’s Leprechaun Day, so the leprechauns are around town, changing the signs first, then we’re visiting various establishments in town, getting everybody excited and pumped up about Irish Week,” Lanning said.
The week culminates with the St. Patrick’s Day Grand Parade — billed as Wisconsin’s largest — on Saturday. It will be the first parade in three years after it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organizers expect about 30,000 people to take part in the festivities.
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