London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

St Patrick's Day: Thousands gather for events in NI

St Patrick's Day: Thousands gather for events in NI

Thousands of people have been taking part in St Patrick's Day festivities in Northern Ireland.

Among the big events taking place was the parade in Belfast city centre, staged by arts organisation Beat Carnival.

It used the spectacle to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Celebrations kicked off in County Fermanagh on Thursday night with the inaugural St Patrick's Eve flotilla.

Colourful characters made their way up Slemish Mountain on Friday

People of all backgrounds joined the parade in Newry, County Down

Hundreds lined the streets of Belfast for this year's parade

Friday's music-themed parade in Belfast started at 13:30 with hundreds gathered around City Hall to enjoy musicians and Irish dancers.

David Boyd, director of Beat Carnival - who produced the Belfast parade - said 800 people from across the community were participating this year.

"We decided to have a music theme, Belfast being a Unesco city of music," he said.

The procession included ancient horns of Ireland, traditional folk, disco, punk and a dance rave.

Pipers joined the Belfast parade, which had a music theme this year

The inaugural St Patrick's Eve flotilla on the River Erne, with Enniskillen Castle lit up in green in the background

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin's Tina Black, was among those enjoying the festvities


Celebrations started early in County Fermanagh with several dozen vessels lit up for the occasion on Thursday evening.

The boats sailed through Enniskillen, past the illuminated castle, and people gathered along the banks of the River Erne to watch them.

Londonderry's streets were packed on Friday, with thousands having come to the city centre to witness a lively parade and colourful performances.

The theme around this year's festivities in Derry was Recycle and Renewal, with some of the participants costumes created from leftover T-shirts from last year's Waterside half marathon.

Irish dancers, drummers and mummers marched through the streets of a rainy Armagh to entertain the thousands who turned out in Ireland's ecclesiastical capital.

The water spectacle continued in Enniskillen, with leprechauns and superheroes among those braving the cold of River Erne with a hydrofoil display.

And on land, parade attendees were brought Back to the Future when St Patrick arrived in a DeLorean.

The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, England

Actor Patrick Duffy, who played Bobby Ewing in the hit 1980s TV series Dallas, attended the parade in Dublin

Seamus O'Hara returned from a week in Los Angeles for the Oscars to take part in the parade in Newry


Seamus O'Hara, star of Oscar-winning Northern Ireland film An Irish Goodbye, took part in the Newry parade with his GAA club.

Originally from Glens of Antrim, he now lives in Killeavy in County Armagh.

After last week's Oscar success he was hoping to sing happy birthday to his son who turned seven on Friday.

Throughout Friday morning people visited what is believed to be St Patrick's grave in Downpatrick, County Down.

Among them were Sophie and Lucy, who said: "We're going to the parade later, our friend's mum is painting our faces and daddy is going to buy us treats."

Sophie and Lucy were among the first visitors to what is believed to be St Patrick's grave this morning


An early-morning service was held at St Patrick's first church in Saul, County Down, and some of those who attended went on to climb nearby Slieve Patrick.

Stephen Moore and his son Phillip Moore travelled to the church in Saul from Banbridge in County Down.

"We've come a few times because we enjoy the fellowship and to celebrate St Patrick," said Stephen.


Orange Order events


Events were also held in Armagh, Broughshane and Derry by the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys of Derry to celebrate St Patrick's Day.

Orange Order Grand Secretary, Rev Mervyn Gibson, said it was becoming an increasingly special day for the organisation.

"St Patrick is there for everybody on the island of Ireland to celebrate and we celebrate it from an Ulster-British perspective and that's what we'll seek to do in the institution," he told BBC Radio's Evening Extra programme.

He said people might be surprised by the Orange Order's involvement in St Patrick's Day events but he hoped attitudes would shift.

"People tended to think that the 12 July was just for the orange and St Patrick's Day was just for the green, but certainly I don't feel that way," he said.

The leaders of Ireland's main Churches, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell (centre), and Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin (right), were among those celebrating in Armagh


In the Republic of Ireland, up to half a million people descended on Dublin for a parade led by the women's national football team, Irish state broadcaster RTÉ reported.

The parade, the biggest on the island of Ireland, began at Parnell Square at 12:00 local time, with marchers making their way through the city.

Crowds gathered early in Dublin for the Parade through the city centre

About half a million people celebrating in Dublin city centre this year


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×