You had to be up early to catch the professional St Patrick's Day party animal in Dublin yesterday. They arrived at about 10 a.m., parked their fold-up chairs in the best spots along the parade route, and smiled knowingly to themselves when the latecomers with their hangovers arrived.
Opening flasks of coffee and munching home-made sandwiches, they could be spotted at various points along the route of the St Patrick's Day parade. An unlucky group of tourists who had travelled to the city from the US were stuck with the uninspiring view of the metal screens erected around College Green .
Those without a prime viewing spot in the capital yesterday might have missed Grand Marshal Samantha Mumba - the pop star was dressed for the office in a pin-striped suit with a plunging neckline - but they couldn't have missed the deafening roars from the crowds.
Attracted by the sunshine, hundreds of thousands gathered in the capital for the parade yesterday, according to gardaí.
Among the Paddy's Day revellers were Charlotte, Michael and Lungi from Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. They felt the celebrations were "well organised, colourful and a little bit crazy".
While they enjoyed the international dimension to the parade - there were groups from the US, Germany, Spain, France and Britain - they said that even more ethnic groups could be added "for more diversity".
Mary Carey, from Artane in Co Dublin, brought her son Oisín Bibby (3) into town for his first parade. "We didn't actually see it, we were a bit late but the atmosphere was great in St Stephen's Green. Everyone was dancing and jumping around," she said.
Apart from the early birds, the best views were had by anyone lucky enough to have secured a ticket for the grandstands. But at Christ Church, a little girl with shamrocks painted on her face was confused as she looked up at those sitting comfortably in the covered seating areas.
"Who gets to sit up there?" she asked. "The rich people," her mother replied. "Wave your flag."