DUBLIN, Ireland, March 17 (UPI) -- Thousands of people marched in more than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades Wednesday in the Irish Republic and across the border in Northern Ireland.
In Belfast, the parade was sponsored by the City Council, The Irish Times reported. The event, which included St. Patrick challenging a snake in a boxing ring on one float and squadrons of children in butterfly costumes, was both a celebration of Ireland's patron saint and of the coming of spring.
Both Catholics and Protestants participated as marchers and onlookers.
The Dublin Parade, the largest in the country, involved 3,000 marchers who took three hours to complete the 2-mile route.
The Cork parade was organized to celebrate the city's long history as a maritime center. Lisa Cummins, the first Irish swimmer to cross the English Channel in both directions, led the marchers.
While St. Patrick's Day has long been a religious holiday in Ireland, the first parade was held in 1931. The custom of marching to mark the day began in Boston in the 18th century and became institutionalized in New York in the mid-19th century.
