ST PATRICK, the Disney Village Celtic Festival press handout informed us, "was filled with human goodwill and mischievous humour". So perhaps Ireland's patron saint would be amused by the phenomenal success of his fete in France, where he was educated and ordained some 1600 years ago.
St Patrick's Day has been enthusiastically embraced by the French, who turned out in their thousands for Irish concerts and dancing over the past four days. For the first time, there were competing venues, with both La Villette and Disney Village drawing several thousand visitors each evening.
This was the first year the Disney theme park celebrated St Patrick's Day, albeit with cowboys and Indians in their parade.
The Gaelic Mass at Paris's Irish College was shown on prime time French television news, and TV 5 wished its viewers a happy St Patrick's Day in gaelic. The Irish Ambassador, Mr Patrick O'Connor, and his wife, Patricia, barely had time to catch their breath between Masses, lunches, dinners and reception.
Mrs Aine Ades, of Bord Failte, is delighted by the French engouement with Ireland.
"Last year 262,000 French people visited Ireland - that's a 12 per cent increase over 1995," she said.
St Patrick's Day celebrations: "have really taken off in the past three year," she added.
"The next step will be when, Europeans attend the parade in Dublin. It would kick start the tourist season for us."
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