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Bagpipers march in the 252st Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York, on March 16, 2013.

With bagpipes galore and plenty of Guinness, Irish-American revelers – and their less lucky non-Irish counterparts – celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with parades across the country on Saturday.

“This is the mother of all St. Patrick’s Day parades,” said Dani O’Connell of New Jersey, who joined the shamrock-wearing masses along New York’s Fifth Avenue. “I’ve got my St. Patrick’s Day parade hat. It’s about getting all dressed up and goofy and having fun – without or without the booze.”

Slideshow: St. Patrick's Day

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David Westerby of Kenosa, Wis. left, yells during the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago, on Saturday.

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Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny marched alongside New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as crowds packed the route of the 252nd annual parade, and presented Bloomberg with a traditional Irish teapot.

“The Irish are found in every borough, every corner of New York,” Kenny said at a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, NBC New York reported. “In previous generations, they came heartbroken and hungry, in search of new life, new hope. Today they come in search of opportunity to work in finance, fashion, film.”

New York’s festivities put those in the old country to shame, said Ewan Armstrong, who was visiting from London.

“I’m really digging the bagpipes,” said Armstrong, 23.

Green-clad lads and lasses in Chicago bundled up for their city’s parade as temperatures hovered in the mid-thirties – but it would take more than that to keep Chicago Journeyman Plumbers from their annual rite dyeing the Chicago River a radiant jade, NBC Chicago reported.

Of course, St. Patrick’s Day does not properly start until Sunday, when Boston will hold its annual parade.

“There’s no place like the City of Boston when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day traditions and celebrations,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement on Friday.

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Members of the Ireland Police department wait to join the rest of the parade on 5th Avenue during the 252th New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 16, 2013.

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Tour boats travel the Chicago River after workers dyed it green to kick off the city's St. Patrick's Day celebration on Saturday in Chicago. The dying of the river has been a tradition in the city for 43 years.

Charles Krupa / AP

Boston Red Sox pitching great Luis Tiant, center, and fans wear festive hats in celebration of St. Patrick's Day at the team's spring training home in Fort Myers, Fla. on Saturday.

Charles Krupa / AP

Boston Red Sox starter Josh Beckett delivers to Baltimore Orioles' Wilson Betemit during the first inning of a spring training baseball game in Fort Myers, Fla. on Saturday. The Red Sox wore green unifroms in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

See more images of the Red Sox in PhotoBlog, and for more green outfits check out today's St. Patrick's Day slideshow.

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President Barack Obama celebrates St. Patrick's Day at the Dubliner Irish pub in Washington, DC with Ollie Hayes, right, owner of the pub in Moneygall, Ireland and Henry Healy, center, Obama's Irish cousin, on March 17, 2012.

The Associated Press reports — President Barack Obama tilted back a pint of Guinness Saturday, observing St. Patrick's Day at a boisterous Irish pub with his ancestral cousin from Moneygall, Ireland, at his side. 

Obama took his motorcade to the Dubliner Restaurant and Pub on a dazzling Saturday afternoon. Wearing a moss green jacket pierced with a button that read, "VIP GUEST — Tell 'em Danny sent you," the president waded into a crowd — some in leprechaun hats and others in dyed green hair — at the entrance of the tavern near Washington's landmark Union Station. 

Last year, Obama visited his ancestral home of Moneygall, a small hamlet in Ireland, and was a hit when he drank a Guinness at the local pub.

On Saturday, the owner of that pub, Ollie Hayes, and Henry Healy, an eighth cousin to Obama and the closest relative still living in Moneygall, joined him barside at the Dubliner as his guests. 

Slideshow: St. Patrick's Day festivities

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More than 100 parades are being held across Ireland to mark St Patrick's Day, with dozens more taking place in cities around the world.

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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge presents a shamrock to the regimental mascot, an Irish Wolfhound named Conmeal, during a visit to the British army's 1st Battalion Irish Guards at Aldershot army base in southern England on March 17, 2012.

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The Duchess of Cambridge was resplendent in green as she handed out shamrocks to members of the Irish Guards, a regiment of the British army, during a St. Patrick's Day visit. According to the BBC, she was taking part in a tradition that goes back to the first regimental St Patrick's Day in 1901.

Kate was introduced to the regimental mascot, an Irish Wolfhound named Conmeal, and capped off her first solo military engagement with a glass of sherry.

Two soldiers had to be escorted from the parade ground shortly before the arrival of the Duchess after they appeared to faint.

Royal family bonding: Kate getting close to Wills' kin

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A soldier is helped to his feet after fainting during the Duchess of Cambridge's visit.

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The Duchess of Cambridge holds a glass of Harvey's Bristol Creme in the Junior's Mess at Aldershot barracks.

Slideshow: Duchess Kate’s royal style

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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as she is now known, wears everything from fancy hats to casual tank tops. See how Prince William's new wife can easily go from a high society affair to shopping on the streets of London.

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