Around 30,000 people lined the streets of Sydney today for a St Patrick’s Day parade held in glorious sunshine.
The procession, with a theme of "Sydney celebrating its Irishness", took an hour to pass the viewing stand at Town Hall in the city centre, and featured marchers from GAA clubs, Irish-Australia n businesses, Irish dancing schools, pipe bands and county associations.
"We're the custodians of our culture, and that's why we're here today," said Clarewoman Catherine Crosse, president of the Sydney St Patrick's Day Parade. "We've got a world class event. It's the biggest parade outside Dublin and New York."
At a function before the parade, Ireland 's Consul General in Sydney, Catríona Ingoldsby, said it was a rare pleasure to be able to celebrate on the day itself - Sydney's parade is otherwise held on the closest Sunday to March 17th.
“We’re very proud of the contribution Irish people have made to the community and economy in Australia,” she said.
Pam O’Mahony, from Kilmoganny, Co Kilkenny, was enjoying the parade with her family. “I love Sydney, I love the St Patrick’s Day parade in Sydney. It’s the best in the world as far as I’m concerned,” she said.
One of the highlights of the parade was the Macnas theatre group's five metre high Boy Explorer, though he almost got stuck in the viewing stand when he got a little too close at one point.
Fine Gael TD and Government chief whip, Paul Kehoe, spent the week meeting Irish community groups and Australian politicians and business people in Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. He attended the St Patrick’s Day parade in Auckland, New Zealand.
Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard told the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne that she was "contemplating naming myself Taoiseach Gillard for a day ... I reckon that'd be fun.
Ms Gillard, who was born in Wales, said the Irish should “never forget that St Paddy’s Day is actually all about a Taff – someone from Wales”.
After the parade, which is staffed by 120 volunteers, most of the revellers went to Hyde Park, where there was Irish food, drink and music, and 45 Irish people became Australians in a citizenship ceremony.
The sails of the Sydney Opera House and Hyde Park barracks were lit up in green in honour of St Patrick’s Day.
There were St Patrick’s Day parades in several other Australian cities and towns, though Melbourne’s parade was held a week early so as not to clash with the Australian formula 1 grand prix.
