St. Patrick's Day, an annual event celebrating all things Irish, is celebrated across the United States with wild parades and festivities.
School brass bands and traditional Irish pipe and drum troupes marched down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, accompanied by delegations from New York City police and firefighters, home to one of the largest and longest-running parades in the country.
In a light morning rain, the parade made its way north past boutiques and St. Patrick's Cathedral, a stunning neo-Gothic building that serves as the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Mayor Eric Adams wore a green hat and scarf, waving the Irish flag, while Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan greeted participants wearing a green, white and orange sash – the colours of the Irish national flag.
“It's just an incredible feeling to be here,” said Ryan Hanlon, vice chairman of the parade's board of directors.
“There is a little rain falling now, but what we Irish call 'liquid sunshine'.
About 800 miles south in Savannah, thousands of revelers in bright green suits filled the streets and squares shaded by oak trees as the South's largest St. Patrick's Day parade passed through the historic Georgia city.
Children blew plastic horns, adults raised beer mugs, and pipe and drum bands marched while pickup trucks pulled floats decorated with shamrocks.
Large-scale celebrations also took place in other American cities, including the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, which claims its 98-foot route is the shortest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world.
The White House fountain waters were dyed green, a tradition started by President Obama.
Several American cities that have been significantly transformed by Irish immigration held celebratory events last weekend.
Chicago celebrated the holiday on Saturday by turning its river bright green.
On Sunday, parades took place in Boston and Philadelphia.
The parades were created to honor Ireland's patron saint, but they have become a celebration of Irish heritage around the world, as they were originally organized by Irish immigrant communities to show solidarity during times of discrimination in the United States.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
