Crowds pack Dublin's streets for national St. Patrick's Day parade

Crowds pack Dublin’s streets for national St. Patrick’s Day parade

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Performers take part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)

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Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, laughs as she joins the Irish Guards, their veterans, families, serving soldiers, reservists, and young cadets from Northern Ireland, at a special St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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Performers take part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Evan Treacy/PA via AP)

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Performers take part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Evan Treacy/PA via AP)

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A performer takes part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Evan Treacy/PA via AP)

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A performer takes part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Evan Treacy/PA via AP)

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Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, drinks Guinness during a reception with the Irish Guards, at a special St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Eddie Mulholland/Pool Photo via AP)

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Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, poses for a photo with members of the Irish Guards at a special St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, arrives to join the Irish Guards, their veterans, families, serving soldiers, reservists, and young cadets from Northern Ireland, at a special St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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Lord Mayor of Belfast Micky Murray takes part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)

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People attend the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)

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Performers take part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)

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Performers take part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Monday March 17, 2025. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)

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Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, joins the Irish Guards, their veterans, families, serving soldiers, reservists, and young cadets from Northern Ireland, at a special St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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People attend the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)

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Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, smiles as she joins the Irish Guards, their veterans, families, serving soldiers, reservists, and young cadets from Northern Ireland, at a special St Patrick’s Day parade and celebration at Wellington Barracks in London, Monday, March 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

DUBLIN (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people packed the streets of Dublin on Monday to watch Ireland’s national St. Patrick’s Day parade, as crowds in green flooded cities and towns across the country to honor the country’s patron saint.

Officials said half a million spectators were expected to line the parade route in the capital to watch the colorful floats, performers and dancers. Many waved the Irish tricolor flag or had it painted on their faces, while others sported leprechaun hats and all shades of green.

Some 4,000 people and 12 marching bands from across Ireland, North America and Austria took part in the parade this year.

While the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades first began among Irish immigrant communities in the United States in the 1700s, and the biggest parade these days takes place in New York City, officials say the holiday draws some 100,000 tourists to Ireland each year.

Smaller parades also took place in cities from Limerick to Cork and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

In London, Kate, the Princess of Wales, sported a forest green long coat with matching hat as she marked the occasion with a solo visit to the Irish Guards at Wellington Barracks.

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The royal, who is the ceremonial colonel of the regiment, presented fresh shamrock sprigs and awarded medals to soldiers before the regiment’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. She enjoyed a half pint of Guinness afterward as she chatted and joked with the soldiers.

Kate, who missed the Guards’ celebrations last year after she was diagnosed with cancer, has gradually returned to public duties.