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St Patrick's Day parades return to Ireland after Covid hiatus
Hundreds of thousands of Irish and international visitors flocked to Ireland for St Patrick's Day festivities after a two-year halt due to coronavirus.
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Deirdre Betson, her son Alex with Paula and Blanca, Garcia, and Alfie, an Irish guide dogs for the blind puppy in training, enjoy the annual St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland on March 17, 2022. (AFP/Damien Eagers)
I
reland on Thursday heralded the return of St Patrick's Day festivities after a two-year halt due to coronavirus, as hundreds of thousands of Irish and international visitors flocked to the capital Dublin and beyond.
Events celebrating Ireland's patron saint were some of the first to be called off in 2020 as mass gatherings were shelved, pubs closed and international travel stopped.
But with restrictions now lifted, Ireland is ready to revel in all things Irish. The government and organisers of Dublin's giant parade are billing this year's event as a symbol of the country's return after Covid.
"A core message of this year's St Patrick's Day is that Ireland is reopening," the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Government ministers and diplomats have fanned out across Europe and the globe, from Chile to Japan, to renew ties with the Irish diaspora and those of Irish heritage.
But in Washington on Wednesday, prime minister Micheal Martin tested positive for coronavirus, on the eve of a scheduled visit to the White House for a traditional event to present the US president with a bowl of shamrock.
Incumbent Joe Biden is of proud Irish stock, and frequently references his family roots in the west of Ireland.
