All around the country sunny weather made for a convivial and celebratory atmosphere as crowds flocked to the annual St Patrick's Day parades.
Sport was the theme for Limerick's parade with Umbrella theatre group's giant pigeons making their way through the city streets with a pack of Kilkenny cats in hot pursuit.
An estimated 55,000 people lined the streets of the city to watch the festivities. Boher Boy and Corpus Christi bands were joined by youths from Dooneen Athletic Club and Piarsaighs GAA club. Doras, an asylum seekers group, provided onlookers with a drumming display.
The 1,500 who participated was the largest number ever according to co-ordinator Myles Breenand and the parade was led by a whole team of grand marshals in an open-topped bus representing the Aughinish women's basketball team.
Girls Aloud, fronted by local favorite Nadine Coyle went down a storm in front of a bumper crowd outside Tralee Hall in Belfast as the city celebrated St Patrick's day with an open air concert.
Shane McGowan and his band The Popes also played to a crowd which Organizer Irene Sherry said it was one of the best ever. "Girls Aloud were definitely the highlight and we were delighted to have them" she added.
You had more of a chance of getting skewered by a giant spear, than getting some shopping done in Galway's shop street. A re-enactment of the battle of Knockdoe, the meeting of the armies of Ulick Burke and the Earl of Kildare in 1504 when some 4,000 men lost their lives was the centre-piece of the parade.
Two hundred took part in the performance by a collection of community arts groups directed by Robbie Smith. Drums, smoke, elabourate pyrotechnics and a double bed, were all utilized in the culmination in Woodquay square. As many as 60,000 people lined the route and Fibin, an all-Irish puppet theatre were the grand marshals in honor of the Taidbhearc Theatre, which is 75 years old this year.
A Dub as grand marshal in a Cork parade? Actually, it's more understandable when the Dub in question is a turkey called Dustin. He was a big draw for around 40,000 onlookers to this year's parade. Highlights included a group from UCC with a mock railway complete with steam-train and tracks. The 51-float parade snaked from the South Mall to Bridge Street under glorious sunshine and included Art Link, the Barrack Street band, and St Mary's band.
In Wexford, colourful Caledonian pipers and drums along with scorpion tanks from the Curragh were among the attractions.
Actor and comedian Denis Leary was grand marshal at the Killarney parade where up to ten thousand people lined the streets. The American Legion, schools of dancing, the Special Olympics stars and the Kilalrney Active Retirement Association, were among the 50 groups taking part in the Killarney parade.
Earlier, Tralee had its biggest parade and turnout in a decade. Estimates put the crowd at more than 15,000 people.
Locals in Dingle braved the cold with a pre-dawn parade around the town led by the Fife & Drum band.
In Drogheda bands had travelled from Scotland and Northern Ireland to take part with an impressive float carrying a miniature replica of the new Boyne Bridge. Meanwhile, Dundalk's parade had dozens of colourful and varied floats, which took a route from Church Street to Bridge Street.
You're a Star winner Chris Doran was the grand marshal of Waterford city's St. Patrick's Parade, which was watched by an estimated 20,000 people.There was a European theme to the hour-long parade, which featured entries from 40 businesses, community groups, sports and social clubs as well as music from a number of local pipe and brass bands.
Thousands of Donegal people enjoyed St Patrick's Day parades in several towns across the county. In Letterkenny thousands lined the main street to see the county's biggest parade.