Manchester became an ocean of green as thousands of people lined the streets for St Patrick's Parade.
The annual parade – marking its 20th anniversary - is at the heart of Manchester Irish Festival, which organisers say is the third largest in the world.
Tens of thousands of visitors watched brass bands, flag bearers and floats make their way to Albert Square and celebrate the city's Irish heritage.
The procession started outside the Irish Heritage Centre on Queens Road in Cheetham Hill, at 11.45am yesterday.
People lined the entire route from Cheetham Hill Road into the city, wearing Guinness hats, green scarves and shamrock emblems.
Irish parades in New York and Dublin are only thought to be bigger.
Spectator Eamonn Tarpey moved to Manchester from Galway more than four decades ago, and watches the parade every year.
Eamonn, 62, a mechanic from Stretford, said: “I come down with my three sisters, and my daughter and grandkids. They all love it and it keeps tradition going.”
Fellow Irishman James Murphy, 33, also from Stretford, watched the festival with wife Helen, 32, and four-year-old pug dog Brian – who was garbed out in full Gaelic gear.
Helen said: “It's great. Everyone makes the effort and we come down every year.”
Pat Karney, president of the Irish festival, said: “Manchester still has the number one Irish festival in the UK, and we are in the top three in the world.
“We are proud of the Irish contribution to Manchester, but equally we're very grateful for Manchester making us welcome.”
Following the parade, which went back to the heritage centre, a series of parties kicked off around Manchester featuring a ceili, celtic rock bands and traditional folk music.
Manchester Irish Festival ends next Sunday, March 21, with hundreds more events planned this week.
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
A Manc and blue (14/03/2010 at 18:31)
SalfordMadLad, South East London (14/03/2010 at 19:20)
aka mancpaddy
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (14/03/2010 at 20:21)
Mr Mancunian, Sydney Australia (14/03/2010 at 23:05)
I really don't know why they cannot travel to Ireland to celebrate St Patrick's day & stay there if their love for the place is so intense. . However.They do have a modicum of common sense (which must come from their english side of course) & return to the country that has given them a good life. Pity.
Mike, Manchester (15/03/2010 at 00:10)
bubbob, manchester (15/03/2010 at 07:26)
Jiggerz, Mancunia (15/03/2010 at 08:15)
William B (15/03/2010 at 08:40)
Mr Mancunian you have an excellent point. It always baffles me that the PM of Ireland decides that to celebrate his country's national day he will get out of Ireland and fly 3,000 miles to celebrate it in a foreign land! I asked why to and Irish friend and he said it was because there were lots of Irish descendants in New York. I pointed out that there were lots of Irish descendants in Dublin too!
I saw that St Patricks Parade in New York and whilst it was OK to watch I found the collecting for Noraid (to fund the IRA) in poor taste.
barca99, Salford (15/03/2010 at 08:42)
I would have thought quite a few Siddy fans were there too considering that your away allocation yesterday was woefully short once again. If Bertie your so against out of town support how come your two bob club is trying to enter the American & Far East market and why are you trying to entice foreign visitors to Camp Boo with your new one billion pound leisure complex? Oh forgot your trying to be everything that your illustrious neighbours have been for decades. Plank
Clucking Feather (15/03/2010 at 08:52)
After all, Saint George is the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Fakiha, Bteghrine, Cáceres (Spain), Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, Gozo, Milan, Pomorie, Preston, Qormi, Lod, Barcelona and Moscow (according to Wikipedia)
UKTV has him down for Portugal, Cyprus, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Macedonia.
Britannia.com reckons George is the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to St Mark). He is patron of soldiers, cavalry and chivalry; of farmers and field workers, Boy Scouts and butchers; of horses, riders and saddlers; and of sufferers from leprosy, plague and syphilis.
He was a foreigner working over here (a Roman soldier on service).
So that's not just multi-cultural, but highly appropriate then...
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (15/03/2010 at 09:04)
William B (15/03/2010 at 09:22)
Maybe I should have celbrated St Patrick as he was English.
''It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian''
BluePurgatory, Manchester (15/03/2010 at 09:24)
Next we have St Georges day and then the Italian procession If the MEN and City Council give these two the same amount of support and publicity then they will be just as successful with megga crowds.
Mancunian and Proud, Manchester (15/03/2010 at 09:25)
Theowolfe (15/03/2010 at 09:47)
The Irish can't be racist against the English and vice versa as we are largely all the same race. Get a grip.
Laura Norder, Didsbury (15/03/2010 at 09:49)
http://www.stgeorgesparade.org.uk/joomla1.5/
So, no excuse for not getting involved, is there?
Hands of Stone, Southside, Manchester UK (15/03/2010 at 09:58)
Hands of Stone, Southside, Manchester UK (15/03/2010 at 10:18)
William B - I never said there wasn't racism in the Irish community so please don't put words in my mouth. How can my comments be racist? As I never said all the English partake in abuse and violence my comments cannot be construed as racist, unless it is someone over sensitive who has had a raw nerve pricked doing the accusing.
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside
15/03/2010 at 09:04
Hands of Stone, Southside, Manchester UK (15/03/2010 at 10:21)
Hands of Stone, Southside, Manchester UK (15/03/2010 at 10:27)
Mancunian and Proud, Manchester
15/03/2010 at 09:25
OMG - I wondered how long it would be before some empty headed right on sudo intellect would come out with some claptrap like this.
So maybe on St Georges day it will be acceptable to collect money for the BNP, or declare a hatred for the Romans perhaps? Let it go for Gods sake, how far back do you want to go? It was generations ago and nothing to do with the decent civilised democratic society we live in today. So going over their and supporting it and the fundraising activities is frankly a disgrace.
Hands of Stone, Southside, Manchester UK (15/03/2010 at 10:29)
Khalid Iqbal, Longsight Town (15/03/2010 at 10:52)
Theowolfe (15/03/2010 at 11:20)
Hands of Stone,
Correct, both are the same race, xenophobic perhaps. Although the whole idea of race is a social construct, it is widely accepted as reasonable.
jcmanc, south manchester (15/03/2010 at 11:33)
In respect of having a parade for St Georges day, it would be nice but I am afraid the Facists would spoil it for everyone by using It as a vehicle for thier misplaced views.
Mancunian and Proud, Manchester (15/03/2010 at 12:07)
My post was aimed to explain the historical links between Ireland and New York to those ignorant of the facts who so strongly questioned the reason for an Irish PM in New York for St. Pats Day. So yes, I was talking about historical events. However, where did I support funding of political or terrorist groups? Please explain.