Parades were held across the north on Monday as people lined the streets to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
The largest was in Belfast, with tens of thousands on the streets as young and old waved flags and cheered as the colourful, and noisy parade made its way through the city centre on Monday afternoon.
Local dance troupes, schools, community groups and musicians all took part in the annual flagship event of Belfast City Council’s St Patrick’s programme of festivities.
Belfast Lord Mayor Micky Murray led from the front as the parade left City Hall at 1.30pm.
“The parade just gets bigger and better every year. It’s a real celebration of the community,” Mr Murray said.
“It is slightly colder than the weekend, but there’s such a great buzz and such a great vibe in the city.”
Part of the city’s celebrations includes an ongoing St Patrick’s Day Festival Village in the Cathedral Quarter.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations started at dawn in the city that claims the “most authentic connection” with Ireland’s national saint, Armagh.
The Navan Centre and Fort hosted the Dawn Light, an event aimed at transporting attendees back to St Patrick’s time in the fifth century, through drama and live music.
The city’s parade, with participants chasing a snake, also included the Sam Maguire Cup, still in the hands of the county for at least for a few months yet and maybe more. A week long Home of St Patrick Festival is taking place in the city.
There was a musical parade through the city of Derry, with activities also at the Guildhall Square, the Craft Village, Waterloo Place and the Guildhall.
The parade, organised by the North West Carnival Initiative, had a ‘Forest, Sky and Sea’ theme as the city celebrated the arrival of spring.
Earlier, the Apprentice Boys of Derry celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a parade through the city centre.
In Downpatrick, which also claims close links to the saint, there was entertainment all afternoon following the parade from the Downshire estate to the town centre.
In the early morning hours pilgrims made their way to Saul Church, which is believed to be St Patrick’s first place of worship in Ireland.
During and after the parade in Newry, there was immersive entertainment from noon until 4pm, with on-street performances and cultural experiences. Newry Town Hall and other buildings were illuminated in green.
On the north coast, in Ballycastle, thousands turned out to support the first parade in the Co Antrim since 2018. A piper led participants through the town to the seafront for live music and a market.
Other parades took place in Strabane, Omagh and Enniskillen.