It was a glorious St. Patrick"s Day!

The sun shone, the streets were thronged, the crowds were in great form, and for one glorious day, the troubles that have dominated the news for the past several months, were completely forgotten.Crowds started arriving in town just after 1 p.m., even though the parade wasn"t until 4.30, but excitement of the kids, gave people an appetite for what was ahead.And, they weren"t disappointed. There was fantastic music from the ever reliable Mullingar Town Band, and from St. Brigid"s Pipe Band, Athy, as well as from the fantastic Clondalkin Youth Band, not to forget the Sonna Samba Band, and the energetic musicians from Project Integrate in Mullingar.There were floats featuring all sorts of scenarios, from the scouts barbecuing sausages on a truck loaned by Whelan Fuels, to the hard-working children on the ND Cleaning Supplies trucks.There was an inflatable monster, and, representing Lilliput Boat hire, a giant; there were stilt walkers, fire throwers, jugglers, trucks, cars, vans, old, and young.The crowd that turned out to watch the event was easily the largest ever, and the streets were thronged the entire way from the Green Bridge to the Monks at Austin Friars Street. Three reviewing stands were in place along the route, and the parade committee and marshals did a magnificent job in ensuring everything ran smoothly, with top class support from local Gardaí and emergency services.There may have been slightly fewer floats than in previous years, but given the current economic climate, that was only to be expected, and those who did participate put on a great show.St. Patrick would, indeed, have been proud.