Belfast: Easy on booze for St. Patrick's

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BELFAST, Northern Ireland, March 16 (UPI) -- St. Patrick's Day revelry kicked off in Northern Ireland with a plea from Belfast city leaders for the public to go easy on the booze.

Wary of more problems after months of sometimes violent protests, leaders pledged more police patrols, particularly in the Holylands section in south Belfast -- an area densely populated by college students.

Police would be on the lookout for "anti-social behavior," Mayor Gavin Robinson said.

This year's festival celebrating Ireland's most famous Catholic saint is the first city-wide event since Protestants began protests in December after Catholic leaders limited the flying of the British Union Jack flag to just 18 days per year, CNN said.

Loyalist protesters clad in British flags clashed with police for weeks after the city council's ruling.

"Clearly we have been through a very torrid three months and I think the city is emerging from it," Councilman John Kyle told the Belfast Telegram.