Don’t give up Japan, we are with you,” read the banner, and members of Galway’s Japanese community received a standing ovation from city officials at today’s St Patrick’s Day parade.
The small group elicited a warm response as they collected donations along the parade route. Galway City Council has opened books of condolences for the thousands of victims of the tsunami and earthquake.
“A world of wonder” was the theme, and a plethora of nationalities, including the Russian Cultural Group and Galway’s Indian community, were well represented in the event which attracted several thousand spectators.
There was no official award this year, but highlights included the Galway Community Circus jugglers and gymnasts, and the Blue Teapot Theatre company’s depiction, “From the East to the West”.
The theatre company for people with learning disabilities told the tale of an historic visit to the west by two eastern gods in the company of a “fiery dragon”.
The dragon was a gift for Saint Patrick, and aimed to help him chase snakes - and hissing snake lookalikes - from the island’s territory.
For the third year in a row, Galway’s parade was directed by Debbie Wright and Craig Flaherty, and the emphasis has been on restricting trucks and trailers and returning to the “physical”.
In a new departure, five groups, including the Breton musicians from Lorient, performed a “showcase” after the parade in Shop Street.
Grand marshal for the city parade was famed boxing trainer and barber Michael ‘Chick’ Gillen. Dry, if not quite warm, weather and afternoon sunshine brought out the inner leprechauns, many determined to mark the national day with non-stop consumption of cheap alcohol.
Parades also took place in a number of towns and villages throughout the county, extending from An Spidéal in the west to Ballinasloe in the east, Gort in the south and Dunmore and Glenamadday.