Dublin's famous St Patrick's Day parade returns after two-year COVID hiatus

St Patrick’s Day celebrations are taking place across Ireland, with massive crowds on the streets of Dublin, after COVID-19 led to events being cancelled over the last two years.

This year’s parade, part of a five-day festival, was described as being “bigger and better than ever before”, with estimated crowds of around 400,000.

The parade was a welcome boost to the local hospitality sector, still recovering from one of Europe’s longest lockdowns.

Prior to the pandemic, the St Patrick’s Festival was estimated to be worth €72m (£60m) to the Irish economy, with €50m (£42m) being spent in Dublin alone.

Organisers have been keenly aware of Irish public empathy with Ukraine and worked with the Ukrainian embassy to feature a “respectful and dignified moment” as a “message of peace and unity”.

Earlier US actor John C Reilly was unveiled as the international guest of honour.

Speaking to Sky News, he said that “all of us are trying to process all of the stuff we’ve been through in the past couple of years with corona and world events, which are certainly very serious and deserving of attention.

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“At the same time, we have to survive as people, as human beings everywhere, and joy is part of that.

“I think, regardless of what happens day-to-day in the world, the effort that went into this festival and all of the culture and art and beautiful music that’s celebrated here is something that we can’t stop, no matter what.”

The actor, an intensely proud Irish-American, spoke of growing up in an Irish household in Chicago, and said his late father would have been “so proud” of his role in the parade.

He also has Lithuanian roots on his mother’s side, and we asked if, given the state of emergency in Lithuania, it made the situation in Ukraine feel more personal to him.

“I think everyone in the whole world is feeling a personal connection to what’s happening in events in Europe,” he replied. “I don’t think actually having a family connection makes you uniquely open to that experience.

“It’s an important thing to say that, obviously, I stand with everyone who’s going through difficult situations in the world right now, but I also felt like it was important to – you know, what do they say, it’s better to light one tiny candle than to curse the darkness.”

The parade began in Parnell Square and travelled through O’Connell Street and around College Green, before ending in Kevin Street.

Thousands descended onto the streets of the capital, with a sea of green blanketing the main thoroughfare of O’Connell Street.

The city was adorned with shamrock hats, leprechauns and long fake ginger beards.

Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington and Paralympian Ellen Keane were this year’s parade grand marshals, as their traditional homecoming celebrations were not able to take place during pandemic restrictions last year.

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Interim director of the St Patrick’s Festival, Anna McGowan, revealed she was “thrilled” the event has returned.

“It’s been three calendar years since the last parade and there’s so many people whose lives are about putting on a show, and to be able to do that this year, and to welcome people back on to the streets of Dublin for our national days, it is so emotional and so important.”

This year’s theme is connections, Ms McGowan said.

“It’s all about inviting people to reconnect with each other after a really tough two years that we’ve had.

“We want people to come back into the streets of Dublin, into your towns and connect with each other. We enjoy those moments together and come back together.”

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