BELFAST:THOUSANDS LINED the streets of Belfast to witness a distinctly inclusive, Latin-flavoured St Patrick's Day carnival parade.
Not only was the sun shining brighter than revellers had had any right to expect but, rather than the traditional military march-beats, the air was filled with the furious South American rhythms of samba and mambo.
In another break with tradition, Ulster Unionist Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers led the parade - featuring community groups from loyalist areas of the city - from City Hall to Custom House Square.
Mr Rodgers said: "It used to be in the past that only one community wanted to celebrate, but St Patrick is for everybody and today that, basically, is what happened.
"This sends out a really positive message that Belfast is moving forward at a tremendous rate. As lord mayor I feel extremely proud today."
He also said that the event was "not just cross-community, but multicultural".
Indeed, there were as many foreign accents as local to be heard standing along the parade route. Many had travelled to Belfast to celebrate the national holiday.
Javier Santos, from Valencia, Spain, travelled from Germany. "Of course we had to come to Ireland for St Patrick's Day," he said.
"We're having a really brilliant time. The people are being very nice and, like people from my country, they know how to have a good time!"
Themed "The Shamrock and the Storm", the parade - which featured a Chinese dragon, groups of drummers, several multicoloured floats and even a team of cheerleaders - passed through a sea of shamrocks, green hats and green painted faces.
The parade culminated in a free concert for 5,000 people in Custom House Square. Headlined by ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, the line-up reflected the inclusive nature of celebrations, with music from traditional group Four Men and a Dog and the Ulster-Scots folk orchestra, Nae Goats Tae.
Onlooker Margaret Quinn was also struck by the changes in the city's annual celebrations. "It's all changed, completely changed. The divide's broken," she said.
"Sure just look at everyone here talking to one another, and all of these people here from overseas. Sure you wouldn't even think it was Belfast."
JOHN HEANEY