SHAWN POGATCHNIK
Associated Press Writer
DUBLIN – Much of the world is turning green Wednesday for St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all hues of Irishness.
Half a million people were forecast to line the 3-kilometer (2-mile) route of the flagship Dublin parade, which is exploring the theme “The Extraordinary World.” It is a nod to Ireland’s increasing multiculturalism – as well as the past two centuries’ global spread of the Irish.
This year Ireland also is pushing itself especially hard as a tourist destination as the country faces its worst recession since the Great Depression, with double-digit unemployment and net emigration for the first time in 15 years.