Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Last year we'd only moved to Ireland a couple weeks prior to St Patrick's Day, but I was still bummed I didn't partake in any of the fun (or even take a cool photo of the kids.) So, today, I was determined to do it all.


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The kids wearing the hats they made at the creche
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Waiting for the parade to start
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The parade started in Ballina, our side of the river, and then went over the bridge to Killaloe. We found a great spot just before the turn for the bridge and got the kids right in front.
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First up, the firetrucks! Until this point, the kids didn't really understand that *something* was happening. They just wanted us to keep on rolling. But once the parade started, they were fascinated.
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Just after the firetrucks, were the horses. The kids were pretty awestruck seeing horses close up. I think Gordon was amazed by how big they were.
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Some traditional music
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Part of the Irish coast guard marching by.  There were also a number of boats used as floats in the parade.
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I spent most of the time pointing things out to the kids. It was so fun to see their reactions. 
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A limerick radio station (the Top40 station I listen to) had their pink minis out in support of the pink ribbon walk that had a contingent marching in the parade
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You can see how enthralled she is in everything going by. We had to put the cover back on because it did start raining on us.
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Various sports and social groups of kids marched in the parade and we got so many of them pointing at us on the sidelines. Jeff kept saying we should've decorated the runabout and jumped into the mix.
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Our friend Nellie, with her infant son, Aidan, had joined us on the sidelines of the parade. We all walked back towards home and stopped at the pub down the street, Donovans, for a pint and some snacks. The kids were great!

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