Belfast:Three parades, including one from the east Belfast nationalist enclave of Short Strand, converged on a sunshine-bathed Belfast City Hall for the annual St Patrick's carnival in the city centre.
The Union flag fluttered on the main mast at City Hall alongside the flag of St Patrick as the carnival, which the unionist-controlled council declined to fund, assembled in Donegall Square, which had been closed to traffic.
Floats included a three-metre Irish wolfhound and an effigy of Ulster legend Fionn Mac Cumhaill.
Boyzone star and Coronation Street barman, Keith Duffy, compered the entertainment for the good-natured and lively crowd of about 5,000 which danced, sang and formed Mexican waves as the carnival got under way.
A statue of Queen Victoria looked down unamused as Tricolours fluttered by the hundred on a mild but breezy afternoon. Street traders sold flags, silly green hats, whistles with green, white and orange ribbons, and horns.
The saffron of Co Antrim GAA shirts mingled with those in Celtic tops and others in rugby jerseys bearing Brian O'Driscoll's number 13.
On stage, the lead singer of the Chevvies showband prompted a unified roar from the crowd when he called on everyone from Belfast to shout out for their city.
"Anyone from Derry here today?" he asked. There were two cheers to which he responded: "Watch your pockets, everyone".
A slender model in a shamrock bikini top worked the crowd seeking signatures for a petition to have March 17th made a public, rather than just a bank, holiday. The response seemed uniformly positive.
There was no repetition of some drunken incidents last year and little evidence of public drinking. Parade stewards in distinctive yellow shirts kept an eye on things alongside a handful of PSNI officers.
The young crowd bounced on the spot like a soccer crowd to heavy metal versions of Whiskey in the Jar and Van Morrison's Brown-eyed Girl.
But as far as a cultural extravaganza goes - this was as Irish as it got, apart from the flags.
The city council declined again to help finance the St Patrick's Day carnival, claiming the events were not yet sufficiently inclusive to attract Protestants or unionists from all parts of the city.
Callers to BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme complained at the presence of so many Irish flags and Celtic shirts. Two DUP representatives said their stance had been vindicated by what they saw as the overtly nationalist display.
Given the crowds in the city-centre stores, perhaps most unionists celebrated the bank holiday by going shopping.
Festivities continued last night at the Waterfront Hall on the banks of the Lagan. A musical programme included the Ulster Orchestra, Clannad singer Moya Brennan and Micheál Ó'Súilleabháin.