ENDA KENNY
THE Minister for Tourism, Mr Kenny, viewed the parade from a stand in O'Connell Street in the company of the grand marshal, Paul McGrath, and the chairman of the parade's board of directors, Mr Michael Colgan.
His view was that the parade was now very different. It had cultural and dramatic dimensions. It showed Ireland's traditions, with currachs, dancing, St Patrick, as well as the "high-tech element", with the Air Corps jets flying by. Macnas had been "just outstanding", he said.
The aim had been to achieve a continuous flow, but there had been very long gaps between floats or bands.
What of the parade as a tourism promotion? "When it's edited down, the green, the smoke, the bands, it will look just great shown on television abroad."
MATT McNULTY
The former director-general of Bord Failte and chief executive of Dublin Tourism, Mr Matt McNulty, ran the St Patrick's Day parade for 21 years, between 1967 and 1988, the Millennium year.
It was great to see change and it was especially good to see the Government taking such an interest, he said. This year's parade had more of a carnival atmosphere. "Everyone who has run it has brought something new", he added.
The last year he had run the parade, he had had between £30,000 and £50,000 to do so. He welcomed the increase in resources, £500,000 having been made available this year.
ALAN STANFORD
Alan Stanford, the actor, said that the parade had been "brilliant". It was what parades should be, street theatre. It had become just one band after another or one commercial float after another. It had needed something fresh.
Everyone was making an effort, he said, and the little community - groups in particular had shown great imagination. "There should be much more of that. It was wonderful. I would love to see what they could do if they were given a little help. No one should say `we can never be as good as Macnas'. If they had said years ago that they could never be as good at the Catalan group, Els Comedients, we would have no Macnas."
Mr Stanford said that his acting colleagues would love to assist and advise people on putting together ideas for the parade "for the usual consideration, of course
There was lots of talent and at last this was being tapped. He urged the commercial entrants to use imagination and originality. "This could be like Rio", he enthused.
CHARLIE REDMOND
Charlie Redmond, the Dublin footballer, had the advantage of actually being in the parade. He and his team-mate, Paul Clarke brought out the Sam Maguire for the crowds to see.
It was a great feeling, he said, a real carnival. Everyone was enjoying themselves and the atmosphere had been great. "It was very funny, because Paul and I were not sure what to do, but the crowds just waved and cheered so we just waved and cheered back."
The Sam Maguire was to be carried in a beautiful 1963 Mercedes car, which overheated and broke down in Westmoreland Street, so Charlie and Paul hitched a lift with Eddie Jordan's Formula One racing team, who were also in the parade.
This year's parade was a big improvement on others he remembered seeing, although he admitted that he had not seen a Dublin St Patrick's Day parade since he was a child.
HARRY CROSBIE
One of the owners of the Point Theatre, the businessman and impresario, Mr Harry Crosbie, suggested a few changes, most involving his friend, Michael
Colgan. The chairman of the parade should become part of the whole day, wearing gold lame and parading in front of the people, possibly on a large Harley Davidson motorcycle. Mr Colgan could be given dictatorial powers, charging people to enter Dublin for the day, or be allowed to sell the whole thing off to the Americans.
He pointed out that someone had to be blamed for the weather and suggested that the chairman of the board should be the one held responsible for the rain and freezing temperatures.
Mr Crosbie's final suggestion was that there should be an award next year for the worst uniform. This could be titled the "Polyester Cup".
LAURA MAGAHY
The chief executive of Temple Bar Properties, Ms Laura Magahy, was also a judge for this year's parade. However, even as a judge, she felt the cold and the rain leaking through the roof of the stand.
The choice of Paul McGrath as grand marshal had been "brilliant". The standard was generally up, with the parade being much more of a spectacle than previously. It had managed to fill the big streetscapes. She particularly liked the bunting along the route. The old parade had tended to be too small and had been dwarfed by the buildings and the wide streets.
She was critical of the length of the parade. "People get tired hungry and need to go to the loo. It should not be more than one hour long. It was meant to be 1 1/2 hours, but stretched to 2 1/2 hours."
However, the parade was definitely going in the right direction and was a "vast improvement"
on the previous format. There was still a lot of work to be done, but she looked forward to seeing what the organisers would come up with next year.