Quinn Announces St. Patrick's Day Trip to Ireland

Christine Quinn, the first City Council speaker who is both Irish and openly gay, announced yesterday she would travel to Dublin to march in the city's St. Patrick's Day parade at the invitation of Ireland's government.

Ms. Quinn, who last year shunned New York City's largest parade on Fifth Avenue because gay groups were banned from marching, attended a gay-friendly parade in Queens yesterday. The Irish parade welcomes openly gay marchers, and she said she hopes that "someday soon" the city's Fifth Avenue parade will allow gay groups.