Thousands line streets of Belfast for colourful St Patrick's Day parade
Thousands of people have lined the streets of Belfast for the city's St Patrick's Day parade.
Young and old waved flags and cheered as the colourful and noisy parade made its way through the city centre on Monday afternoon.
The large crowds enjoyed a spectacular showcase of music, dance and street theatre.
Local dance troupes, schools, community groups and musicians all took part in the annual flagship event of Belfast City Council's St Patrick's programme of festivities.
The parade was one of several held across Northern Ireland on the day of celebration for the island's patron saint.
Belfast Lord Mayor Micky Murray led from the front as the parade left City Hall at 1.30pm.
'The parade just gets bigger and better every year,' he said. 'It's a real celebration of the community.'
Mr Murray said it was an honour to lead the parade having always attending the event growing up.
'I'm delighted to be able to lead the parade this year,' he added.
The mayor hailed the atmosphere in the city as thousands ensured a warm welcome for the parade participants on what was an otherwise cold day in Belfast.
'It is slightly colder than the weekend, but there's such a great buzz and such a great vibe in the city,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Fashion influencer who criticized Trump's style draws the attention of DHS after revealing he's an undocumented immigrant
Derek Guy, the popular men's tailoring influencer known for critiquing Donald Trump and JD Vance's clothing, has revealed that he is an undocumented migrant to the United States – and could therefore be at risk of being deported. In a lengthy post on X over the weekend, Guy, who has mercilessly ridiculed the length of the president's trademark red ties and the cut of his deputy's suits, explained the moving circumstances behind his family's arrival in the U.S. 'My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada,' he wrote. 'My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. 'He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to – not knowing immigration laws – and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby.' Guy concluded: 'I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). 'But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant.' Alarmingly, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to another tweet about Guy's admission by posting a meme from the children's film Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) in which the character Juni Cortez's high-tech glasses zoom in on a target, implying that they are looking into the situation. The Independent has contacted the DHS for clarification on Guy's situation. Vance also replied with a meme taken from a movie from more than 20 years ago, in his case a GIF of Jack Nicholson grinning and nodding enthusiastically from the 2003 comedy Anger Management, which might equally be interpreted as a veiled threat. Guy, who is notoriously publicity shy and seldom photographed, made light of the tension on X, posting some of the media reaction to his revelation on Monday and commenting: 'Honestly didn't expect this is what would happen when I joined a menswear forum 15 years ago.' On Tuesday, he joked: 'Just walked by {Immigration and Customs Enforcement] ICE but I was wearing slim chinos and dress sneakers so they suspected nothing.' Guy's tweets have repeatedly mocked Trump and Vance's sartorial choices, as well as other members of the administration like Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth and Robert F Kennedy Jr and MAGA acolytes like Charlie Kirk. In late May, he derided the president and Kirk's appearances in the Oval Office, noting that the latter's 'shrunken and soft' threads left him looking 'like he was dunked into water while wearing the suit, put through a tumble dry, and then dunked again.' Teasing Vance over his St Patrick's Day socks in March, he observed that the veep's 'pants are too slim, hence why they ride up on him like this.' Last year, he rubbished Miller's obsequious claim that Trump is America's most stylish president, listing John F Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush as four occupants of the White House who were more smartly turned out than the current president, in his opinion. The controversy comes at a time when the Trump administration is drastically speeding up its crackdown on illegal immigration, sparking five days of protests in Los Angeles that have since spread to other major American cities.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
'At home here in Regina': New exhibition captures 56 years of Indigenous art, self-determination
Little glass seed beads adorn a menstrual cup, carefully capturing the moon cycle phases around its sides. The beadwork, a traditional art practice for Regina-based Métis artist Audie Murray, is transposed onto an unconventional object to talk about contemporary experiences of the world. Titled Moon Cup, it is one of the featured pieces in the MacKenzie Art Gallery's (MAG) newest exhibition showing how Indigenous art and performance has been used to challenge colonial oppression. 'It's really hard to separate politics and indigeneity and that is not because of Indigenous people but the way that the government and others see Indigenous people,' said Murray in a recent interview. 'We are political, our lives are just intrinsically related to politics and rules and laws that the government imposes on us.' 'So for art to be a way of reacting to these different political climates, it's just a natural thing,' she said. Murray, like the other featured artists in the gallery, use humour as a layer in their work. Another of her pieces, Protection (2020), is a beadwork condom still in its wrapper. The needle and thread punctured through, rendering the object unusable for its intended protective use. Her third artwork Celestial Gloves (2021) is a pair of worn work gloves with porcupine quills, which Murray says shows the 'physical traces of labour or hard work that we have to do as Indigenous people.' Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969 is showing in Regina at a time when public dialogue about western separatism and expediting natural resource projects is facing pushback from First Nations who want to see inherent and treaty rights upheld by provincial and federal governments. The exhibition traces through 56 years of the Self-Determination Era through performance and artwork. It emerged from the 19-month Occupation of Alcatraz, where activists asserted they had treaty rights to the federally abandoned island outside of San Francisco. Even Saskatchewan-based artists such as Bob Boyer and Ruth Cuthand played a role in that art movement, says MAG's executive director. 'I feel really good … when we're bringing outside curated shows that can help us understand ourselves here more and this, I think, really is exemplary of that,' said John G. Hampton during a walk through the gallery rooms. The MacKenzie lent work from Murray, Boyer and Cuthand for the 2023 debut of Indian Theater at the Hessel Museum in New York state. But Hampton, who made history in 2021 as the first Indigenous director of a major non-Indigenous art institution in Canada, says 'it's just so at home here in Regina.' The exhibition is one of the largest the MAG has had for some time. More than 100 pieces of work are spread across almost all of the second floor gallery space and down to the main floor theatre. Hampton hopes the show inspires people with its 'breadth and scale and the sophistication of work that's been produced since 1969.' The exhibition's curator, Candice Hopkins, is from Carcross/Tagish First Nation in Yukon, but is based in New York. She says she relies on her relations in the art world to bring together pieces that are 'in dialogue with one another.' 'I want it to feel not just lively but alive,' said Hopkins, who was in Regina for opening night on May 22. 'You should not only feel like you're part of it, but you should feel like all of these (artworks) have agency in and of themselves. And so I really feel that at the MacKenzie.' Indian Theatre will be at the MAG until September 21. The gallery space will have a live performance on the evening of Thursday, June 12 with Nicholas Galanin's piece White Carver activated by local woodcarver Chad Arie. nyking@ First Indigenous CEO of Saskatchewan arts organization 'humbled' by chance to inspire her community Beadwork artist Audie Murray to be first Indigenous Artist in Residency The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Sir Andy Murray not ruling out return to coaching despite Novak Djokovic split
Sir Andy Murray has not ruled out a return to coaching despite his short-lived link-up with former world number one Novak Djokovic coming to an end after just four tournaments last month. Murray was speaking at Queen's Club in London, whose centre court was officially inaugurated as the Andy Murray Arena on Monday ahead of the venue's new WTA 500 event, the first time the west London site has hosted women's tennis in 52 years. Advertisement Murray, who retired from playing after the 2024 Olympics, linked up with Djokovic in November and despite the pair terminating their relationship in May, the 38-year-old says he may accept a similar role in the future. Andy Murray relished his return to Queen's Club on Monday (John Walton/PA) Murray told BBC Sport: 'I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately. 'I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. 'It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court. Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go.' Murray, a three-time grand slam winner and five-time winner of the men's title at Queen's, joked his tennis was now 'diabolical' before rallying with a 10-year-old doubles partner on the court. Advertisement 'My tennis is diabolical, apologies for what you are about to witness,' he said before pairing up with Gloria, 10, for the ceremonial two-round rally against Laura Robson, who won an Olympic silver medal alongside Murray in 2012, and Jay, 7. 'I've obviously missed being out here,' he added. 'It's the first time, obviously, not being involved in a grass court season for a while, but I've got a new life now and I'm enjoying being away from the sport a little bit.' Centre court at the Queen's Club was renamed in Murray's honour (John Walton/PA) The Scotsman also revealed he has a special connection to this event – he was coached as a 12 and 13-year-old by Russian Olga Morozova, the last women's singles winner here in 1973. Advertisement 'I think it's brilliant,' said Murray, when asked about the return of women's tennis to Queen's. 'This court has had many great matches on it. I think it's a great chance for women to showcase themselves out there.' The former world number one first competed in the main draw at Queen's as an 18-year-old and for the last time last season before retiring in Paris. He also claimed the doubles trophy in 2019 alongside Feliciano Lopez. Murray added: 'This tournament has so many special moments for me. It's the place where I won my first match on the ATP Tour, it's my most successful event. 'Coming back here at the start of the British summer and I'm very proud of the results I have here. 'I'm very grateful and thankful for whoever it was who decided to name the stadium this way. I hope there's lots of great matches and you all enjoy the tennis.'
