Thousands attend St Paddy's Day parade
Flocks of people brave the cold to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day
Last updated 17th Mar 2018
Thousands of people have flocked to the streets across Northern Ireland and beyond to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day 2018.
In Belfast, the annual parade got underway in a sea of green as people braved the wintry weather to mark the occasion.
It comes as the 'mini beast from the east' sweeps across the UK bringing freezing temperatures and snow and ice.
Other parades also took place across the province including in Londonderry, Newry, Armagh and Downpatrick.
The day will also be marked in Northern Ireland with a free concert at Custom House Square.
In Dublin, Star Wars star Mark Hamill joined in the celebrations.
He tweeted "Today the whole Galaxy is Irish.''
The actor is the Dublin parade's first international guest of honour and was invited to watch the festivities from the Presidential stand.
Skellig Michael, an island off the coast of Kerry, was used as a location in the latest movie, Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi, featuring as the hidden refuge of Luke Skywalker.
Hamill spent time in Co Kerry shooting for the Star Wars film.
His great-grandmother Elizabeth Keating was born in Kilkenny in 1873, and left Ireland for America when she was a teenager.
Irish actor Liam Cunningham, famous for his role as Davos Seaworth in television series Game Of Thrones, led the parade this year.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar marched in the New York St Patrick's Day parade on the final day of his week-long visit to the US.
Before the parade, Mr Varadkar met the Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio at a breakfast event.
He also attended a mass in St Patrick's Cathedral.
The day is also being marked around the world with parades in many other countries.
Tourism Ireland's Global Greening campaign will see around 290 major landmarks and sites in 48 countries being lit up in green.
