Sydney Opera House was one of the first landmarks to take part in the Global Greetings initiative.

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Sydney Opera House was one of the first landmarks to take part in the Global Greetings initiative.
Sydney Opera House was one of the first landmarks to take part in the Global Greetings initiative.

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world on Wednesday with online events replacing traditional parades. Both Belfast and Dublin have cancelled traditional parades for the second year in a row in honour of Ireland’s patron saint.

The Queen has extended her best wishes to the people of Ireland for St Patrick’s Day, 10 years after she visited.

Since 2010, landmarks around the world have gone green in honour of St Patrick with over 690 sites in 66 countries taking part, including the Sydney Opera House and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In Chicago, officials had cancelled the annual colouring of the Chicago River but the city’s mayor decided to continue with the tradition minus the fanfare.

St Patrick lived in the 5th Century and is understood to have played a major part in converting the Irish to Christianity. He is traditionally associated with the Shamrock plant, which he used to explain the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity