The Tribune

THE BAHAMAS All Stars Marching Band joined performers dressed as colourful creatures from Irish myth and legend dancig down the chilly streets of Dublin on Friday as Ireland commemorated its national saint in a St Patrick’s Day parade witnessed by hundreds of thousands.

Throngs of tourists and Dubliners, many of them donning leprechaun costumes, braved gusty winds to pack the route for the parade as it travelled down O’Connell Street across the River Liffey and on to St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The Bahamas All Stars were presented with the Discretionary Award for popularity and a Participation Award.

Dublin’s parade, by far the largest of dozens nationwide, forms the centrepiece of a four-day festival that marks the start of Ireland’s tourist season.

Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife, Sabina, and other dignitaries watched the hour-long procession from a bandstand. The spectacle was heavy on artistic flair and worldwide connections, featuring marching bands from the Bahamas, Germany, France, Switzerland and the US states of Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington. Firefighters from Berkeley, California, and Westchester, New York, also marched.