NORTHERN IRELAND:ST PATRICK'S Day was marked by a series of parades and carnivals across Northern Ireland, with a strong emphasis on community relations and inclusion.
Celebrations in Lurgan, Co Armagh, however were cancelled following last week’s murder of Constable Stephen Carroll and ongoing violence and tension in the area.
Disturbances also broke out in the vicinity of Queen’s University in Belfast where students from a range of colleges live.
Thousands of people turned out in bright sunshine in Downpatrick, Co Down, for an hour-long parade and a host of on-street events and entertainment.
The day began with a traditional annual ecumenical pilgrimage from Saul, the site of St Patrick’s first church in Ireland, to the patron saint’s burial site at Down cathedral.
The centrepiece of the eight-day St Patrick’s festival was the carnival parade which this year adopted the theme of “the Sun, Moon and Stars”.
Dozens of floats, the majority specially constructed for the parade, were joined by dancers, stilt-walkers, musicians, acrobats and a host of representations of movie characters and celebrities.
In Belfast, thousands watched the parade from City Hall to the reconstructed Custom House Square a short distance away.
The crowd there, estimated at 6,000, were later entertained by Co Derry X-Factor finalist Eoghan Quigg.
It was just the fourth annual St Patrick’s parade in the city centre supported by the city council.
Belfast’s Sinn Féin Lord Mayor Tom Hartley referred to the now firmly established official celebrations in the city centre, claiming it is now one of the most significant celebrations on the calendar.
“The council has worked extremely hard to make the event fully inclusive, so that it appeals to all sections of the community, and this work definitely has paid off, to make St Patrick’s Day an occasion which can be enjoyed by all the people of Belfast, and visitors alike,” he said.
Parade participants included a group from the local Gay Pride as well as members from Real Fathers for Justice.
Other parades were held in county towns across the North.