An Irish blessing was bestowed upon the world Saturday in honor of St. Patrick's Day 2012. Celebrations of green-clad revelers took place around the world.
In New York City, the annual St. Patrick's Day parade glided down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. Mayor Michael Bloomberg walked in the 251st annual parade, waving the Irish tricolor and greeting revelers.
It's a wonderful day to be Irish, a great day to celebrate, Bloomberg told the New York Daily News just before marching up Fifth Avenue. Forty percent of people who live in New York City are from outside America, and that's one of the great strengths of New York City.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan greeted the mayor outside St. Patrick's Cathedral. Now in New York, St. Patrick's Day is so wonderful because it brings everybody together, which is what the Irish are all about, Dolan told The New York Daily News. They're all around the world, and they just bring people together in love and service.
In Washington, the fountain on the South Lawn of the White House flowed with bubbling green water, and President Barack Obama celebrated with a pint of Guinness at the Dubliner Irish Pub in Washington.
In Aldershot, England, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, presented shamrocks to members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at Aldershot Barracks. A parade was held as well. Middleton wore a teal pleated coat, a brown hat and shamrocks on her lapel.
Surely, the most popular of Irish blessings was shared on St. Patrick's Day amongst celebrators:
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Here are photos of St. Patrick's Day 2012 celebrations around the world on Saturday, March 17.
A father and his daughter watch the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York. ReutersCardinal Timothy Dolan stands in St. Patrick's Cathedral while watching the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York March 17, 2012. Saint Patrick's Cathedral, New York City's iconic house of worship on Fifth Avenue, is getting a facelift. The $175 million restoration will take about five years and will include what church officials described as a thorough scrubbing: its 1,300 panels of stained glass will get protective glazing, pipes from its massive organ will be cleaned and acid rain and other deposits will be wiped away.ReutersNew York City's Mayor Bloomberg walks in the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York. ReutersSt. Patrick's Day coat pins adorn the jacket of Dennis Dunn of New York as he watches the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York, March 17, 2012. ReutersPeople dressed in green watch the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York March 17, 2012. ReutersSeven-month-old Madison Grace of New Jersey watches the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade with her mother in New York March 17, 2012. ReutersA group of children sit behind a barricade during the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York. ReutersThe sun shines though an Irish flag as people watch the 251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York. ReutersU.S. President Barack Obama (C) holds Cooper 'Danny' Coleman, 21-months-old, as he celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a stop at the Dubliner pub in Washington, March 17, 2012. ReutersThe fountain on the South Lawn of the White House flows with green water for St. Patrick's Day, in Washington, March 17, 2012. ReutersA member of the "Benny and the Elevators" acrobatic team, dressed in a leprechaun outfit for St. Patrick's Day, performs during the NBA basketball game in Chicago March 17, 2012. ReutersPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder John Mayberry Jr. (R) signs autographs for fans before a St. Patrick's Day spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Clearwater, Florida, March 17, 2012. ReutersBritain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speaks to two children during a visit to Aldershot Barracks in Aldershot, southern England March 17, 2012. During the visit, the Duchess presented shamrocks to the Irish Guards at a St Patrick's Day parade. ReutersBritain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wears a shamrock on her lapel during a visit to Aldershot Barracks in Aldershot, southern England March 17, 2012. During the visit, the Duchess presented shamrocks to the Irish Guards at a St Patrick's Day parade. ReutersSpectators gather for the St Patrick's Day parade in Trafalgar Square in central London. ReutersA woman heads to Trafalgar Square for the St Patrick's day parade, in central London March 18, 2012. Reuters
