Paddynet launches with a St Patrick's Day extravaganza

St Patrick's Day you can take your anorak and go to the parade... or stay at home and surf the Internet

St Patrick's Day you can take your anorak and go to the parade... or stay at home and surf the Internet. A live Internet broadcast in New York, Dublin and Paris will pump out footage from the Dublin parade and on-line interviews through the "Digita Island" web site. In the main venues audiences will be able to use the Internet, videoconferencing and chat lines to talk to friends around the world. The highlight will be a transatlantic Irish music session, featuring names like the Hothouse Flowers (from Dublin), Sharon Shannon and Donal Lunney (from Paris), and Mairtin O'Connor, Davy Spillane and the musicians from Riverdance (from New York). Digital Island marks the official launch of "Paddynet" - their name, not ours - which currently receives 100 000 "hits" or electronic visits, each day. The sponsors are Guinness, Telecom Eireann and Bord Failte. The Margin may opt for the dog show.