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St. Patricks’s Day parade route to be cut short by city

Costing cutting measure sees parade curtailed

By
Niall O'Dowd,
Irish Voice Reporter
Published Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 7:32 AM
Updated Thursday, February 3, 2011, 2:29 PM

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The Bloomberg administration, in an effort to cut police and sanitation costs, has insisted on a shortened New York City St. Patrick's Day parade for 2011, the Irish Voice has learned.

The parade normally ends at 86th Street and Fifth Avenue, but city authorities say it must end this year at 79th Street and Fifth.  The parade traditionally kicks off in the morning on West 44th Street and Fifth Avenue.

However, parade officials were determined to have the parade the same length as always this year, given that it is the 250th anniversary of the march, a major milestone.

A compromise that would take the parade past the American Irish Historical Society, the last major viewing area, at 81st Street and Fifth Avenue, and then turn right is in the works, the Irish Voice has learned.

The city announced last year that it was shortening all city parades to save money from April 1 of 2010. The St. Patrick's Day parade which was led up Fifth Avenue by New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly in 2010 was the last major parade under the old rules.

In February of last year the city announced that the many parades conducted each year needed to cut the distances they cover by 25% -- and they could not be more than five hours long.

The city said such moves would save $3.1 million and would avoid "cuts in essential police services."

However, the parade leadership is said to have argued strongly for the existing length of the parade to stay in place, pointing out the huge economic benefit to the city of the parade and its history as among the largest marches in the world.

Organizers are also mindful of recent efforts to switch the parade to a weekend day, and fear a "slippery slope" as one parade official said.

Turning off at an earlier side street may present logistical problems, however, as 86th Street is a much wider avenue for the tens of thousands of participants to navigate.

A spokesperson for the NYPD contacted by the Irish Voice would neither confirm nor deny the new shortened parade route.

Author Mary Higgins Clark is set to lead the parade as grand marshal.  It is expected that she will lead the parade on its two mile-plus march up Fifth Avenue by using a horse and carriage.
 

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17 Comments

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lookbackkid | Feb 11, 2011, 11:44 AM EST
I'm histerical. First the news of the day is "we" Irish hang out windows now we can't get into "his" neighborhood. This will be the New Yorkers next graphic. The Fighting 69th with the bag pipers ampted up to cover the city with the sweet aroma of courage and success. And let us not forget our Irish Wolf Hounds (just about the size as the party in question))leading us with pride and dignity. Calm when stroked but fierce when provoked. Please don't let this happen. A lot of Irish blood and tears built this country and our fine city, New York City............
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kennymcg | Feb 03, 2011, 11:38 PM EST
Added to Cape Cod St. Patrick's Parade: "Irish Micky Ward"(The Fighter) as Grand Marshal, and Siobhan Magnus (American Idol) ... March 5, 2011 on Cape Cod. C'mon New Yorkers, a great time even for Yankee Fans !!
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maryjanern1 | Feb 03, 2011, 04:48 AM EST
I am still in shock after reading this!!! The relatives and former Irish of NY are definitely rolling over in their graves. The parade is such an integral part of NY Irish heritage. I only get to them occassionally now that I live in TX. It is the best parade ( without floats and other nonsense) to celebrate Irish America in this country. It is the people, who are marching for their ancestors, that came here and built this city along with the other nationalities that now have their parades. This is the THE PARADE- on St Patrick's Day- March 17th- not on another day like other cities have relegated their parades to. Come on Firemen, Policemen, Sanitation, Ancient Order of Hibernians-get the protest going. It will be a sad for the NY IRISH if this happens!
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fuerte181 | Feb 02, 2011, 07:38 PM EST
Give me a break!
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antoman | Feb 02, 2011, 07:07 PM EST
Are they gonna shorten the kilts to?For the 50,000 illegal Irish women looking on like.
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bronxjames | Feb 02, 2011, 06:55 PM EST
You must realize what your dealing with.
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DennisQ | Feb 02, 2011, 04:18 PM EST
How much are New York taxpayers spending on this anti-terrorism foolishness? It doesn't do anything to improve public safety. New York is just as vulnerable today as it was on September 10, 2001.

The fact is that you can't protect a big city from terrorist attack - there are too many opportunities for mayhem. All you can do is put on a show for the tourists, and that's basically the approach the police have taken. It's more than posting a few cops at subway entrances. Bloomberg has built the anti-terrorist cops a Taj Mahal of a headquarters, and there's no telling what their annual budget is - gazillions!

With all this talk of "realism" in public spending, people should realize that the so-called War on Terror is one-sided and unnecessary. Once it got started, there was no way to cut it back. Let's change that!
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kennymcg | Feb 02, 2011, 02:24 PM EST
New York parade is great, but .... Cape Cod St. Patrick's Parade on March 5, 2011 is going to be fantastic. C'mon down. It's a family thing !!
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Murph46 | Feb 02, 2011, 12:30 PM EST
WTF Do you think with a Mayor like Bloomberg,this guy spent 14 Million of HIS OWN money to get elected!
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IrishColleen50 | Feb 02, 2011, 12:11 PM EST
This is just wrong surely they can cut costs somewhere else say the Mayor's salary and other top officals i am planning on attending this for the first time and im sick of the Irish getting screwed over for everything why cant we have own Holiday like other nationalities do you have MLK ,Columbus etc lets legitimize March 17 as a National Holiday !
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joanmoody | Feb 02, 2011, 11:38 AM EST
So New York will feel what San Antonio's parade has known for past few years. At least with New York the city pays for it while in San Antonio the Irish pay for the parade here. The minority parades such as the MLK are catered to but not the St. Patrick's Day Parade. San Antonio's parade is older than the MLK. Email San Antonio's Mayor Julian Castro to ask for equal treatment for the Irish.
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biggles008 | Feb 02, 2011, 11:15 AM EST
If the Irish pay for it they could leave it full length. There's a worldwide recession.
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Liamkeyes | Feb 02, 2011, 10:37 AM EST
I have walked the Parade five times and as I grow older I would have to concede that it is a bit long especially if it's a cold day(as it can be in NYC in March). Even if it cut short to the suggested route, it's still quiet a parade.
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RedBranch | Feb 02, 2011, 10:10 AM EST
Have the Parades Commission been informed about this unilateral decision by one section of the community?
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kmaccallum | Feb 02, 2011, 10:05 AM EST
Its about time. The 2010 parade was th elongest I can recall in the past 10 years - at 530 Pm the end of the parade was at 5th avenue and 50th street - meneaing the parade was over 6 hours long. As much as I enjoy this parade and watch it every year, its horibly disruptive to tie up midtown Manhattan for an entire business day, muchless the cost of police and sanitation dept. overtime. (Pleasze don't flame me - if you live or work in midtown, you understand what I am saying.) To my knowledge, every other parade was shortened last year - as example, the Scottish parade in April which has several throudand particpants and talkes no more than 45 minuites to pass a guven pint on a Staurday on Sixth Avenue, ended around 54th rather than 57th Street.
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