St. Patrick's Day in Montreal means the start of a weekend of celebrations — the first all-out celebrations since the pandemic began three years ago.

The 189th St. Patrick's Day luncheon was held at the Plaza Centreville Friday, but one of the highlights was Verdun city councillor Sterling Downey cutting his iconic beard.

Each two inches raised more money, and since he cut six inches off, he raised $5,000 for the St. Patrick's Society of Montreal.

Downey has another four inches left and hopes to take donations to cut that off in the next week to raise a total of $9,000

To make a donation, people can visit the group's website.

Watch the video above for the full report by CTV Montreal's Max Harrold.