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FOR A FESTIVAL honouring the patron saint of one small island off Europe, St Patrick’s Day has reached far beyond Irish borders in recent years.
From New York to Tokyo to the Caribbean, here are our picks of some of the biggest and most interesting parades taking place across the world over the coming week.
MONTSERRAT
This tiny Caribbean island – home to just under 5,000 people – celebrates St Patrick’s Day for a different reason than the rest of us.
For the folks in Montserrat, Thursday marks the 248th anniversary of a failed slave rebellion against European colonisers, many of whom were Irish.
Despite its dark roots, organisers of the annual festival say it now celebrates the island’s African and Irish heritage.
NEW YORK
New York City’s 2016 parade should be particularly memorable: for the first time in its 255-year history, LGBT groups will be allowed to march under their own banners.
Senator George Mitchell, who helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, is leading this year’s festivities along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.
DUBLIN
Get out early on Thursday morning for a decent view of our own capital’s parade, which kicks off a four-day festival.
Among the other highlights here next week are daily walking tours tracing the life of St Patrick, a céili at Earlsfort Terrace on Friday and a street carnival on Merrion Square the following day.
ARKANSAS
Actor Kevin Bacon and his brother, the musician Michael Bacon, are the grand marshals of the self-styled Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade along a 98-foot street in Hot Springs, Arizona.
Irish Elvis impersonators, belly dancers, Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, green wolfhounds and the “world’s largest leprechaun” are all said to be taking part.
BIRMINGHAM
Caribbean dancers, Welsh dragons and Chinese dragons feature in the UK’s longest-running parade through Birmingham.
Live music, food, games and a pony petting area are also expected to draw crowds to a specially constructed Emerald Village outside the city’s Irish Centre.
MUNICH
The capital of Bavaria celebrates its Irish links with a three-day festival featuring the biggest parade in continental Europe.
Now in its 20th year, the parade ends with a party in Odeonsplatz and goes on late into the night in Irish pubs across the city.
AUCKLAND
There’ll be plenty of action in Auckland as well, with a big parade and outdoor fleadh on Western Park.
The celebrations kick off on Wednesday when the city’s Sky Tower turns green – a nod to the big Irish community in New Zealand.
TOKYO
Tokyo’s St Patrick’s Day parade – billed as the largest in Asia – is back for a 24th year next weekend.
Irish-themed parades will also be taking place in nine smaller cities across the country: Chiba, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, Matsue, Takamatsu, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Okinawa.
What are your plans for Paddy’s Day? Let us know in the comments below.
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The world is going to wait until it’s too late to tackle this maniac.
Something tells me that the international community doesn’t believe he is capable of what he says he is
No oil so…..
It has nothing to do with oil. America already sacrificed thousands of their own to protect South Korea. The issue is China and the fact that they’ve shown to be willing to fight to protect the North and their egomaniac leaders.
@Jason Culligan: You are correct the North has China behind them but you still aren’t seeing the US doing much about the WOMD that the North has but it invaded Iraqi with obvious no proof of any WOMD but plenty of oil.
2nd lad in, first row from left. foot too low. Family shot.
He’s obviously spent the army’s rifle money on nukes then.
Under normal conditions I’d say that they’re parade rifles, much like the Americans who still use M1 and M14 rifles for marching. In North Korea though, where they have 1 million more soldiers than rifles, you’re probably spot on.
Delighted, just the news we were waiting for
Look at all those robots dressed up as soldiers,wow.
I’d say they all blink in unison.
He’s only a mount like his auld fella
Another loony state supported by SF/IRA.
@Paddy Lions: Why do you stick SF and IRA into everything you don’t like? If you hated Guinness, do you put SF or IRA into that as well?
@Paddy Lions: It’s 2017, make a resolution to grow up, PLEASE
In 1986, the Sinn Fein Foreign Affairs Bureau sent a message of solidarity to the North Korean regime. The message, signed by Sile ni Dhara, stated clearly: “We offer our support to the Workers’ Party of Korea in its fight for the establishment of the Democratic Confederated Republic of Korea.” (“Sinn Fein Letter to Korea,” Ireland’s War, issue 18 (June 1986) p.7). Also, during a visit to Scandinavian countries in 1987, Gerry Adams attended a reception at the embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Kim Il Sung. (“Gerry Adams visits Scandinavia”, Ireland’s War, issue 23 (July 1987), p.7) In 1989, an official Sinn Fein delegation including Gerry MacLochlainn, Sheena Campbell (later murdered in 1992 by loyalists) and John Doyle attended the World Youth Festival in Pyongyang (cfr “Sinn Fein Delegation at World Youth Festival”, An Phoblacht-Republican News, (vol.11 number 26), 29 June 1989 p.14).Alois Irlmaier:
DPRK is the perfect socialist state form which we can learn
Yep. Were the masses starve, are interned or executed while the leader gourges on cheese, meat and booze
Kim has nukes on the brain,the poor lad. That’s what must have caused the hair loss.
Why do I think the Yanks must have this guy covered?…Can China pull Kim’s chain in at any moment but use him as a counter against the yanks especially since Trump is sabre rattling over Taiwan.
Kim has nukes on the brain,the poor lad. I bet that’s what caused his catastrophic hair loss.
Kim is storing his farts now to power it? That is why it is taking so long?
No harm. The threat of mutual annihilation seems to be the best way to stop the deployment of nuclear weapons. Let’s hope Iran gets there too asap to negate the imbalance created by Israeli nuclear capability. Maybe then they will start to act like a civilised nation
The problem is that North Korea seem incapable of understanding that point. They already picked a fight with the US once when America had nukes and their guardian angels the Chinese still hadn’t developed nuclear weapons of their own. North Korea is also constantly close to collapsing in on itself. The last thing you want is a civil war in a nuclear capable state.
Some jowls on him the little fooker . Destroyed with the gout at this stage . Him and Donald J Trump be arm and arm skipping down the yellow brick road shortly .. soon as Donald builds one
have your say