New York: The sunny skies and warm temperatures in New York wrapped something of an air of deception around the city's St Patrick's Day parade yesterday.For the hundreds of thousands who marched and cheered the 242nd consecutive parade, there was no getting away from the fact that the United States was on the verge of war.
Only minutes' walk from Fifth Avenue, diplomacy had reached a dead end at the headquarters of the United Nations and the news was flashed that President Bush would be speaking to the nation a few hours after the parade marched into the history books.
But for the hours that it lasted, the parade was a welcome distraction for a city that will be getting fighter jet cover in the next few days, just as it did in the days and weeks after September 11th.
Since then, the Big Apple sees itself as being in the front line of the war against terror and now in the seemingly imminent one against Saddam Hussein..
As such, the traditional military and law enforcement trapping of yesterday's march seemed to match the mood of many.
Many New Yorkers used the day to pray for peace in church services that centred on the traditional morning Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.
The parade stepped out on time, as it does like clockwork every year, with the "Fighting 69th" National Guard regiment leading the way.
The New York Police Department had promised extra security and indeed it seemed that while all off-duty officers were marching in the parade, a large percentage of the 30,000 force were stationed along the parade route which stretched for more than two miles up Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street.
Overhead, a police helicopter kept up a constant patrol along the parade route.
The Mayor, Mr Michael Bloomberg, and the Police Commissioner, Mr Ray Kelly, led one of the early contingents, one that included the Grand Marshal, Mr James O'Connor, a top executive with the Ford Motor Company who traces his family roots to Tipperary.
The New York Governor, Mr George Pataki, his New Jersey counterpart, Mr Jim McGreevy, and former mayors Mr Rudolph Giuliani and Mr Ed Koch walked in a contingent about 30 minutes behind the mayor and Grand Marshal's group.
As they did last year, the marching members of the New York Fire Department carried 343 Americans flags, one for each firefighter lost on September 11th.
A group of Irish gays and lesbians protested their now annual exclusion from the parade from behind crowd barriers across the street and just north of St Patrick's cathedral.
Some among their number waved placards opposing war against Iraq.
The parade included members of the Garda Síochána and the Dublin Fire Brigade and was reviewed on behalf of the Government by Minister of State Ms Mary Hanafin, who was positioned in the main reviewing area adjoining Central Park, about half a mile north of the cathedral.
And in a trend which has grown noticeably stronger in recent years, large numbers of parade spectators were decked out in Irish soccer, Gaelic and rugby shirts.
Given the county's success in the All Ireland football final, there was no surprise that Armagh jerseys were evident on just about every block on a day when a long snowy winter gave way to the miracle of spring.
The miracle of peace, by contrast, still seemed some time away.