Irish eyes were all smiles at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City on March 17 as thousands of Irish Americans and the “Irish for a day” crowd lined up along 5th Avenue from 44th to 79th Streets.
A sea of green was in full display as the world’s oldest and largest St. Pat’s Day Parade kicked off at 11 a.m. sharp and was led by this year’s Grand Marshal Kevin J. Conway, vice chairman of Clayton, Dublilier & Rice.
The distinctive sound of bagpipes and drums echoed through the streets as hundreds of groups including marching bands, Irish dancers and community groups, members of the FDNY, NYPD, and various branches of the U.S. armed forces, and the regular share of local politicians, passed through a sea of revelers, many dressed in shamrock green attire, proudly waving Irish flag.
The parade hails back to 1762 when homesick Irish ex-pats and Irish soldiers, serving as the Brit’s indentured servants in New York’s colonies, joined and organized the city’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade. At that time, wearing green — a sign of Irish pride — was banned in Ireland, and participants enjoyed the freedom of wearing green, speaking Irish, and playing the pipes to Irish tunes.
Father and son team Jack and Jack Walker visited from Paisley, Scotland, and were heading for a pint of Guinness before the parade kicked off. The elder Walker shared that they always wanted to come to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City.
“We’re so happy we came here because the people from New York are fantastic,” Walker said. “They’re beautiful people.”
Dressed in shamrock green attire paying homage to their Irish heritage, friends Denise, Michelle, Liz, and Julie from Auburn, NY, were already in a festive mood. It was their first time attending the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City, and they were looking forward to “the guys in kilts.”
Mother and daughter Siobhan and Pilar O’Larta were visiting from Ireland. Siobhan shared that her other daughter Lucia was a musician with the Irish Cross Border Orchestra, which was playing at Carnegie Hall in the evening. It was their third time visiting NYC, but the first time to experience St. Patrick’s Day.
“You know, you’re so proud to be Irish,” Siobhan said. “When you see just the volumes of people. Everybody wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s wonderful.”
Victoria Dadonto from Brookhaven, Long Island, has been coming to the parade for 20 years. And even though she isn’t Irish, St. Patrick’s day is her favorite holiday, she said.
“It’s a happy day, and you just talk to people. You meet people. Everybody’s friendly. Everybody’s in a good mood,” Victoria said. “You forget about all the problems in the world. You do.”
Raleigh Bucaro, who is part Danish and part Italian, was visiting with her family. The teenager was celebrating her 13th birthday and shared that she has been coming to the parade with her family, who lives in New Jersey, since she was one year old.
“It’s such a momentous day, we get to see so much here, and I love spending this much time with my family,” Raleigh said.
