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A Little Blarneyby David Williams
So, to all the O'Smiths, O'Ferracas, O'Washingtons, and O'Alexanders, May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back , may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields, and may the lord always hold you in the palm of his hand. So where is a good place to find the Finnigan's, Corcoran's and O'Mallys of the world on St. Patrick's Day? Well, if you really want to know, most of these fine Irishmen will probably be in some wonderful Irish pub like the one in Detroit on the fringe of Greek Town. But, in their hearts, we know that they would like to be in a parade like the traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. It's been going on since 1762 and an estimated 160,000 shamrock wearing Irishmen are expected to march 2 miles down 5th Avenue while over 1,000,000 wistful parade watchers will line the route with envy in their hearts and a smile in their eyes. Ah! it warms the cockles of our hearts! The New York festivities kick off at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue at 11:00 am on March 17th, with bagpipers, high school bands, and the ever-present politicians making their way up Fifth Avenue to 86th Street, where the parade will probably finish around 2:30 or 3:00 pm. The 32 counties of Ireland are represented in the parade, as are Emerald Societies of New York City agencies and other Irish organizations from all over New York. You can actually view the parade from a live Web cam looking north up Fifth Avenue from the southeast corner of 45th Street. But New York isn't the only parade. The city of big shoulders has enough Irish to compete with the blustery winds of Lake Michigan (click here for QUICKTIME VR of Chicago's Parade). There are also parades in Holyoke, Massachusetts; Roanoke, Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; Belmar, New Jersey; Savanna, Georgia; Toronto, Ontario and other cities too numerous to mention. What's more, there's a little town in Texas by the name of Shamrock that celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a beard growing contest. To each his own. In closing, we would like to offer you lyrics to a wonderful Irish song. (song) DANNY BOY "Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen, and down the mountain side The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying 'tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide. But come you back when summer's in the meadow Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 'tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so. And if you come, when all the flowers are dying And I am dead, as dead I well may be You'll come and find the place where I am lying And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me. And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me I simply sleep in peace until you come to me."
Now that you're all teary-eyed, consider reading a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about growing up in Limerick, Ireland -- Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt.
Other St. Patrick's Day Sites
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© Broadbent & Williams, Inc.
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Whether or not you know that the patron saint of Ireland was born in Wales about 385 AD and that his given name was Maewyn, on March 17th, people from every corner of the United States, from all nationalities, become Irish for the day. Their grandfather's may have been from central Europe and their grandmothers from the deep South, but on St. Patrick's Day, their voices will rise to Gaelic songs like Danny Boy and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling . And, for one brief moment, captured in both blarney and beer, they are IRISH.