NORTHERN IRELAND: BELFAST: ST PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATED

(17 Mar 1998) English/Nat Thousands of Catholics participated in the first-ever St. Patrick's day parade in Belfast on Tuesday. St. Patrick is honored throughout the Republic of Ireland every year for his role in bringing Catholicism to the country. But such a parade had never been staged before in the largely Protestant city in Northern Ireland. In a break from the past, participants in Belfast's first St. Patrick's Day parade marched peacefully on Tuesday to the tunes of local reggae singers and a visiting Brazilian salsa band. There were images of Celtic witches, bulls and snakes - the ones said to have been banished from Ireland 16 centuries ago by its patron saint. In an effort to include every constituency, organisers allowed all types of marchers - from festively decked-out young children to a group demanding the release of Irish Republican Army (I-R-A) prisoners. Good weather led to an estimated ten-thousand people turning out for the festivities. But there was little involvement from Protestants, whose favoured patriotic colour is orange not green, and who fly the British flag. With Belfast's mayor, Alban McGuinness, in Washington, D-C for a meeting with President Clinton, his wife kicked off the ceremonies. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Happy St. Patrick's Day (cheers from crowd)." SUPER CAPTION: Carmen McGuinness, Wife of Belfast's Mayor Despite the troubles which have plagued Northern Ireland, the message was clear - "lets party!" Many people recognised that event was successful because of the current efforts towards peace. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Q: Are you enjoying St. Patrick's day? A: We are indeed. Q: Is this the first time you've had it like this in Belfast? A. This is the first time in the city centre Q. Why do you think that is? A. It's just a change really, that's it. Probably the cease-fire helped it out a bit anyway." SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop SOUNDBITE: (English) "We are a happy bunch of people. And we like to enjoy ourselves too, along with the rest of the world." SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop Many Catholics were happy to have their own public event in Belfast. SOUNDBITE: (English) "It just means that everyone can be together. And celebrate together. It makes a change from, like, the twelfth, when it's just the other side, but now you can get together more and all sides can do it. It's a good laugh, it's going real well, it's a brilliant turn out." SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop All types of dances were performed, adding colour and excitement to an often depressed city. The event was not without its critics. Many took offence to the I-R-A sympathisers and the welcome given to a contingent from Belfast's chapter of Gay Pride. But event organiser Catriona Ruane defended their inclusion. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Well this parade was for all communities. It was for the Gay community, the Lesbian community, the people with disabilities, the Protestant community, the Nationalist community, and people from all different ethnic minorities that live here. We're very happy with who turned out, this was the first parade ever in the city centre for St. Patrick's Day. We'll be building on this for next year and the year after." SUPER CAPTION: Catriona Ruane, Parade Organiser The successful parade takes on special significance in light of the Northern Ireland peace talks taking place in Belfast, and Washington. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...