Parade of vivid colour banishes the winter blues

DESPITE the wintry conditions, hundreds of thousands of people turned out for yesterday’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin.

The presence of more than 1,000 gardaí ensured the level of underage drinking on the streets was far lower than previous years.

Around 400,000 people gathered along the parade’s three-kilometre route to watch the street performers, floats and marching bands from home and abroad.

“I think it’s phenomenal. The weather’s a little cold, but the crowd and the atmosphere makes it all worth it,” said Charlie Toth, a Texan who travelled with his friend Margaret Dudley to attend their first parade in the city.

“I came specifically for this, and maybe some Guinness too,” he said.

As millions of Irish people, and their descendants, attended St Patrick’s Day parades in New York, Sydney, Singapore and other cities throughout the world, Archbishop Sean Brady emphasised St Patrick’s migrant background in his address and called for a more inclusive attitude to migrants.

Many of them were to be found on the streets of Dublin enjoying the parade.

“It’s good fun, I’m enjoying it till now, and I hope I’ll enjoy the rest of the day,” said Sameer Deshpande, a 35-year-old Indian architect working in Dublin.

Wearing a green top hat, and with shamrocks painted on his cheeks, he said he intended to get into the mood of the festival.

Marconi Gaite, 37, from the Philippines, said he was attending his sixth St Patrick’s Day parade and added that there did not seem to be as much drinking.

“I think it’s more festive today than compared to the other years,” he said.

The Grand Marshal of the St Patrick’s Day parade was Ronnie Drew, the famed Dubliners’ singer. There were more than a dozen marching bands from around the world, cheerleaders from Dallas and theatrical pageants by groups from Dublin, Wexford, Donegal, Waterford and Kildare.

Mary Byrne, from Clontarf in Dublin, came to the parade with a ladder so that her two daughters, seven-year-old Hannah, and Grace, 14, could see above the crowds.

“It’s very, very cold, we’ve had a good shower of hail, but it’s fantastic. It’s living up to everyone’s expectations,” she said.

Ms Byrne added that there still was a lot of drink involved, particularly in the side streets. “Other than that, everybody seems to be enjoying it.”

Street vendors seemed to be doing roaring trade in hot-dogs, hamburgers, Irish flags and helium balloons.

“The sales were a bit slow in the morning, but they’ve definitely picked up and they’re going quite well at the moment,” said Leona Carey, a balloon-seller on Dame Street.