Irish Prime Minister in Atlanta for St. Patrick's Day events

ATLANTA (AP) St. Patrick's Day festivities got underway in Atlanta with a special visit from an Irish diplomat.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny served as grand marshal for Atlanta's St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday and also visited an Irish-themed pub in midtown.

Kenny's visit to Atlanta also included a visit with Mayor Kasim Reed at City Hall on Friday, who commemorated the 151st anniversary of Father Thomas O'Reilly saving Atlanta's City Hall, courthouse, five churches and residential neighborhoods from destruction during the Civil War.