Galway:"God help us . . . we don't want to be child soldiers," proclaimed the placard gripped by a small boy with a toy gun.
"Thanks to the Irish peace-keepers," his T-shirt read. The message from the Liberian community in Galway struck a sobering note at yesterday's St Patrick's Day parade.
More than 400 Irish soldiers based at Camp Clara in Monrovia represent the largest western component of a hazardous United Nations peacekeeping mission in the African state.
Conflict was a key theme in Galway this year, but most of it was of a historical and humorous nature. Godless Vikings fought with monks and priests, devils danced to the Horslips classic, Dearg Doom, and a spectacular eruption of glitter from a mobile Croagh Patrick caused mayhem for the "mountain rescue" below.
St Patrick's bed, trousers, bones and bell were hoisted aloft, pigs squealed, snakes hissed, and "clergy" brandished Bibles and distributed copies of the heretical verse, Patrick was a gentleman.
High winds threatened to whisk away one of the parade's largest participants, the giant wolfhound, Bran, led by Macnas.
The hairy madra towered over elephants and trapeze artists from the Moscow State Circus. It was part of a strong international and multicultural dimension, which included the Association of Nigerians in Galway, dancing members of the Galway Filipino community, and representatives of the evangelical Living Word Fellowship.
Mike Arrigan's drummers had shivering spectators moving to samba, tribal and dance beats; there were school bands from Tirrellan and Renmore; and sports clubs including Connacht Rugby juniors, Cumann Peile Bearna and sheep rounded up by the Salthill-Knocknacarra GAA club.
Galway City Council has reduced the number of commercial floats in recent years, and the parade co-ordinator, Breandán Ó hEaghra, has also tried to play down the competitive element.
However, one Galway pub did have a dig at the local authority's controversial €9 million refurbishment of Eyre Square. Staff of Richardson's pub dressed up as workmen in hard hats, bearing drills and shovels and playing Ewen McColl's Dirty Old Town. "Fallujah square," said one of their placards. For their sins, they were placed at the back.
