Highlights: St. Patrick

I’ve always wondered what a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland would be like. Well, I found out: very short, with hints of India dusted throughout. As we arrived at City Hall (where the parade began), we claimed our spot on the curb and waited for the festivities to commence. We knew the time was nearing as the armed police officers started pushing people back to make way for the floats. All of a sudden, there he was, the man of the hour, St. Patrick himself! We waved our souvenir shamrock flags and snapped the camera. The next part of the parade had a slightly Hindu bend, with participants dressed up in Bollywood-esque costumes and colorful performers on stilts. We then watched a primary school parade by, with a capstone of authentic Irish bagpipers pumping their bagged musical notes into the crowd. And then it was done. We were astonished by the 15 minute brevity of a parade that passed us by, with nary a step dancer in sight. However, upon entering St. George’s Market, we found the Irish dance troupe for which we were searching. It was lovely watching their legs fly while the arms and upper body remained at attention. The dancers even treated us to part of the opening of Riverdance. Although the parade was brief and the dancers had to be sought out, the overarching theme on March 17 in Belfast was celebrating a green island in the North Atlantic. There were no Unionists or Republicans dotting the edges of the parade route, rather a joint Gaelic people proud of its heritage. What a powerful legacy of a 5^th century bishop.