We are participating in the St Patrick's Day parade today! Before that, we are due to meet with Drogheda's Lord Mayor, so our runners are busy polishing up their best smiles...

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Kevin Callan meets with the team and adds his wish for harmony to the millions of others who have held the Torch over the past 25 years.

Time for a nice group photo...

..and a certificate of appreciation for the Mayor...

...and another one for d hotel, who generously sponsored our stay last night. I can't tell you how much the runners enjoyed their night's sleep and breakfast!

Now it's time to prepare the Harmony Run support vans for the parade!!!

No, Mladen, there's no need to decorate the inside too, but thanks for offering :)

As always, we love to give people a chance to hold the torch....

It is a good day for sellers of green facepaint.

Off we go to the streets of Drogheda...

...to the dignitaries stand where we again present the torch to the Mayor...

...and sing our Harmony Run song, complete with actions!

Mangala explains the Run for the cameras (and her happy face does a lot of the explaining for her)

..whilst her husband Ambarish leads out the team, with the torch at the front.

We took so many amazing pictures with people holding the torch, that we couldn't fit them all into this report - you'll just have to look at our gallery!!!

As we run, we sing our Harmony Run song with its corresponding actions to a very appreciative audience.

That's what its all about - passing the torch from hand to hand and heart to heart.

We've reached the bottom of the hill now - ready to turn for the last leg...

Seeing people smiling when we give them the Torch gives us so much joy, and we do hope we manage to give people a little joy too :)

Natalia exchanges some high-fives with the crowd.

With stewards like these, how could the parade not be a success?

The home stretch....we're enjoying every minute of it.

Holding the torch with our runner Abhejali from the Czech Republic - Abhejali is perhaps the most accomplished athlete in our team, having held the Czech 24-hour running record, as well as swimming the English Channel last year.

Lesson of the day: Fire and bubbles don't mix.

Talking pigs lend their support for world harmony. (I can't believe I just wrote that)

Barbara makes a new friend.

We want to extend a big thanks to our helper for the day, who was handing out our World Harmony Run stickers!

And also Vinny and the whole family for coming up from Dublin to support us!

So now its time to leave Drogheda and continue our run to Belfast - but we take with us lots and lots of fond memories! Thank you Drogheda!

We split up into two teams to cover the distance faster. On the first team, the girls set out to cover the miles...

...leaving the boys with too much spare time on their hands.

We might just temporarily lend him to an art gallery.

Awww.

Elena has come all the way from Dublin to help us cover the miles to Belfast.

Meanwhile, the second team starts off near the picturesque village of Rathfriland.

Nirbhasa considers turning around and getting back in the van.

A very happy and grateful Nirbhasa completes his leg of the Run. Such a beautiful day to run on, and Co. Down has some amazing scenery!

Mladen has his own special running lane.

We make it into Belfast just before the sun goes down.

After a long day, we are very grateful to be able to put our feet up at Jury's Inn and the Europa hotel, which have both offered rooms to the runners.

Here are the team holding the torch with the staff of the two hotels. Both hotels were also very supportive when we stopped in Belfast in 2009, on our 2-week run around the coast of Ireland. Thank you!!!

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Video Message from Davidson Hepburn, President (2009 - 2011) of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for 25th Anniversary of the World Harmony Run and a vision for the decade: "Toward a Oneness-World".

Full Text of the 25th annversary message and link to 25 language informal Translations: http://www.worldharmonyrun.org/25

or Click on language button for separate youtube videos wth sub titles in varous languages

See also:

• Youtube video on African experience which illustrates IYY slogan "Our Year Our Voice" International Year of Youth - Zambia World Harmony. They surprisingly mention Presidents and UN Secretary-General in a unique way!

• Listen to the World-Harmony-Run song: 2 min version // 6 min

– Nirbhasa

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Team Members:
Apaguha Vesely (Czech Republic), Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Andre Carvalho Ribeiro (Portugal), Sumahat Strohn (Germany), Mladen Vujaklija (Croatia), Petar Mihaylov (Bulgaria), Rui Paulino (Portugal), Vladimir Ilyasov (Russian Federation), Laszlo Szente (Hungary), Barbara Tabackova (Slovakia), Abhejali Bernardova (Czech Republic), Charumati Pernicka (Czech Republic), Sadanand Magee (Ireland), Nirbhasa Magee (Ireland), Gary D. Foran (Ireland), Natalia Romanova (Ireland), Elena Agarkova (Russia), Mangala Keenan (Ireland), Ambarish Keenan (Ireland)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!

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