Limerick, Killarney, and Dublin paint the town green for St Patrick's Day

A participant dressed as Ireland's patron saint throwing shapes and banishing snakes at Dublin's St Patrick's Day parade. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty  

Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Dublin, Limerick, Kerry, Galway, Belfast, and Derry to watch the parades wind their way through the cities, showing the tradition of St Patrick’s Day is as effervescent as it has ever been.

In Dublin, children waved tricolours while visitors watched the long and energetic parade make its way through the streets. Visitors from across the world packed the city centre to see the headline parade and to celebrate the festivities of St Patrick’s Day.