ASIA:ASIA'S IRISH matched the region's tiger ambitions with green celebrations as they celebrated St Patrick's Day with dragons, dancing girls, winking beasts and everything from tropical heat and blizzards in evidence for the Irish national day.
Beijing’s parade was back this year after security concerns meant permission to hold it was withdrawn last year – St Patrick’s Day nearly coincides with the anniversary of the riots in Tibet and security tends to be tight.
This year scores of people marched through the city’s Chaoyang Park through heavy snow but the atmosphere was festive and spirits were elevated by performances by A Few Good Men and a stirring reading by Dermot Bolger.
The previous night, more than 700 people thronged the Kerry Centre for the Irish ball, while on Monday night, Ambassador Declan Kelleher hosted diplomats and the Irish community at a reception attended by Minister of State Michael Finneran.
Shanghai, China’s biggest city, had its fourth parade with over 500 participants and 1,000 spectators in the city’s Fuxing Park. Haibao, the mascot for the World Expo fair which opens in Shanghai in May, joined in. As well as musicians and clowns, there were street performers, Chinese dragons and local Chinese and Irish university exchange students.
In Singapore, home to more than 2,000 Irish, it rained for the parade but there was singing and dancing, while the Singapore Gaelic Dragons boating crew deposited St Patrick at the point where Sir Stanford Raffles landed in 1819.
In the tiny Portuguese enclave of Macau, the 20 Irish residents joined a fair whack of other expatriates for an Irish-only quiz hosted by local community leader Glenn McCartney. He runs the local Irish bar and is also a tourism lecturer.
