Saint's Day Success, Despite Students' 'Riot'

Saint Patrick's Day went down a storm with Ulster people from both sides of the community yesterday.

A successful Belfast parade and X-Factor star concert - with Eoghan Quigg (pictured) - set the scene as parades took place across Northern Ireland.

Even the Ulster Scots Agency got involved and hosted a number of events at the west Belfast Park Centre, including both Irish and Ulster-Scots dancing.

However, the traditional holiday was a disaster for residents of one part of south Belfast.

Five people have been charged after disturbances in the Holyland student area that started on Tuesday afternoon when police moved in to clear people who had gathered on a street during St Patrick's Day celebrations.

But the mini 'riot' was in stark contrast to the scene in Belfast city centre - which was transformed into a sea of colour and music.

Hundreds lined the route from the City Hall to Custom House Square, where Dungiven star Quigg delighted the crowds.

Stilt-walkers and a mobile human windmill, with aerial acrobats at either end accompanied the procession on its short journey to Custom House Square.

The parade itself featured around 1,000 participants from across the city, including a display from the Chinese community, dressed in traditional clothes - a sign of how the council have tried to make the festivities more inclusive.

The afternoon's Holyland violence saw police pelted with bottles after hundreds of house parties spilled on to the street.

At about 3pm heavily-armoured officers were called to Carmel Street in the heart of the city's student land by reports of damage to a car.

They had to form a line to force troublemakers back and Land Rovers blocked both sides of the street, which was closed to traffic.

Appealing for calm, a spokeswoman for Queen's University Students' Union said students had to take responsibility for their community and condemned the violence.

At the scene PSNI Superintendent Chris Noble said his men took action when they came under attack, and blamed alcohol for the trouble.

"The initial indications are that a lot of the individuals had consumed a significant amount of alcohol in a limited period of time," he said.

Today, the NI Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, has expressed his disgust at the "total lack of respect" shown by some students living in the Holylands area.

The Minister visited the Holylands after more than 12 people were arrested following disturbances during the St Patrick's Day celebrations.

Sir Reg said: "I toured the area last night and I am utterly horrified by the damage that has been done by these students. Their actions have shown complete and utter contempt for the community in which they live.

"The behaviour of the students, who are benefiting from being at top universities and are set to be amongst the highest earners in our society, has turned the area into a war zone.

"My Department is investing millions of pounds in higher education to ensure that we give our young people every opportunity to excel in their chosen field, but these actions are the actions of those with no regard for the general public," he said.

See: St Patrick's Day Success Despite Trouble

(BMcC)