Saint Patrick's Day have been cross-community St Patrick's Day parades in towns throughout Northern Ireland, which have attracted thousands of spectators. In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use St Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland and its culture. The government set up a group called St Patrick's Festival, with the aims: The first St Patrick's Festival was held on 17 March 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event, and by 2000 it was a four-day event. By 2006, the festival was five days long; more than 675,000 people attended the 2009 parade. Overall 2009's five-day
Alexander Day (artist) Adonis", Raphael's "St. Catharine" and the "Madonna, Infant Christ, and St. John" (the "Aldobrandini Madonna"), Leonardo da Vinci's "Christ disputing with the Doctors", Domenichino's "S. Jerome and the Angel", Annibale Carracci's "Christ appearing to Simon Peter after his Resurrection", and Gaspard Poussin's "Landscape with Abraham and Isaac", which are now in the National Gallery. His portrait miniatures of ladies are particularly graceful. Day purchased from the Borghese collection Annibale Carracci's "Temptation of St Anthony", and, in 1792 Andrea Mantegna's "Adoration of the Shepherds", which William Buchanan sold to Richard Payne Knight at Downton Castle. Day died in Chelsea, London on