Girls Aloud top Paddy's Day bill in Belfast

Belfast Mayor Martin Morgan pictured with Belfast school children

As the campaign to force the killjoys in Belfast City Council to fund a St Patrick's Day concert outside the City Hall gathers momentum, chart-topping girl band Girls Aloud have been confirmed as this year's main act.

Making the announcement in the Mayor's Parlour in City Hall, with the support of Mayor Martin Morgan, Irene Sherry, chair of the St Patrick's Day Carnival Committee, emphasised their determination that the National Holiday will be celebrated in Belfast as it is in many major cities throughout Ireland and throughout the world.

"The Carnival Committee has proved its commitment once again to bringing top-class entertainment to Belfast City Centre," she said. "Girls Aloud and the other acts on our programme will attract tens of thousands of people into Belfast City Centre for St Patrick's Day. This can only be good for the local economy.

"It is time that the unionists on Belfast City Council who have opposed funding an outdoor St Patrick's Day event woke up to the fact that it must respect the cultural traditions and identity of all the people of this city on an equal basis." Sherry announced that bands No Way Out, Wanderluste and Broken Hill will also play.

SDLP Mayor Martin Morgan had invited the Carnival Committee to the Mayor's Parlour to carry out the official launch of the programme, where they were joined by up to 20 children from the Short Strand area dressed in costume.

Also at the launch were Sinn Féin Councillors Margaret McClenaghan, Marie Moore and Danny Lavery.