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Greeting from all the Kenna,s down under
Sydney: Around 100,000 people lined the streets of Sydney today for the city’s first St Patrick’s Day parade in two years.
The 2011 parade was cancelled due to a storm, but the autumn sun shone bright on Sydney this year.
The procession, which took an hour to pass the viewing stand at Town Hall in the city centre, featured marchers from GAA clubs, Irish-Australian businesses, Irish dancing schools, several floats with a Book of Kells theme, pipe bands and county associations.
Co Clare woman Catherine Crosse, who is president of the Sydney St Patrick’s Day Parade, says the event is a labour of love.
“We’re the custodians of our culture. When we go abroad we’re the ambassadors of Ireland. It’s wonderful, when you are received so well in your adopted world, to be able to do something like that,” she said.
Guest of honour at the parade was Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, who criticised the “cynicism” of those who say Government ministers should not travel for St Patrick’s Day.
“I have no time for that sort of corrosive cynicism. I think we need to get away from that in Ireland,” said Mr Shatter, who has already met Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, New Zealand prime minister John Key, and attended several other functions since Thursday.
“Myself and my colleagues in Government are working extremely hard to promote Ireland, to make contact with Irish people abroad.”
Newly appointed Irish ambassador to Australia, Noel White, and consul general Caitríona Ingoldsby also attended the parade.
After the parade was over, tens of thousands of revellers went to Hyde Park, where there was Irish food, drink and music, and 43 Irish people became Australians in a citizenship ceremony.
On St Patrick’s night, the sails of the Sydney Opera House were lit up in green. Permission had only been granted two days earlier, following an initial refusal, after concerted pressure from MPs on the cross-party Parliamentary Friends of Ireland group.
PÁDRAIG COLLINS www.irishtimes.com
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