Sun shines on New York City St. Patrick’s Day 2012

The Big Apple/An Ulla Mor. New York/Nua Eabhrach should be renamed New Cork/Corcaigh Nua. To paraphrase Monty Python in The Life of Bryan: "What did the old Yorker's (small applers) ever do for us?" But, leave it to the Yanks everytime. The home of the real Irish.

I am mad as Hell. All the media had the Parade going up to 86th St.this year unlike last year. I wrote a note to our Grammar School Alumni Assoc. to inform them that we all could meet at the usual site between 80th&81st. When my cousin and I arrived we were informed that the Parade was ending at 79th St. All the people from 86th had to move south, that is 7 blocks of full of parade goers on both sides of 5th Ave. Needless to say it was a huge mess. I strongly protest to again ignoring the importance of the Irish American Historical Society and the sneeky and underhanded way is was done. I suspect our Mayor guilty of this deceit and am not sorry he'll be out office soon. Where is the protest to this? Maggie

One correction: the Parade does not culminate at St. Patrick's Cathedral; that is at Rockefeller Center locale midtown. The Parade goes up to past the Irish Historical Society across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and that is above 79th Street! The steps of the Museum are always a great viewing place, not the steps of St. Patrick's! Who is doing your fact-checking?

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: What is the woman to the left of "Greenbeard" thinking?..."And, to think, I married him!"

Hey, since we are talking about alcohol, what about the drunks participating in Spring Break, what about the substance abuse billion dollar industry in the US? Hardly an Irish thing I would think. I believe that American- Irish are no more or less drunks than the rest of the population. Kill the bigotry that we seem to hold onto for dear life in this country.

The 2nd last paragraph states: "To say ...that's its only the Irish that are getting drunk on St. Patrick'd Day would be flat out wrong", and that is very true. On a St. Patrick's Day in the mid-90s, a reported for one of the major NYC stations approached a teenaged girl who was gulping down bear from a can and said: I see you're enjoying your drink but you don't look Irish". This was the response of the tipsy teen: "No, I'm German, but I eat lots of pizza on Columbus Day and I drink lots of beer on St. Patrick's Day". Speaking of boozing at the parade and other Irish Abstinence Association had branches in several parished throughout the city. For a decade or more this respectable temperance organigation proudly marched up the Avenue bearing a beautiful banner that represented their committment to sobriety. This conspicious grout reflected dignity, respectability, honor on themselves and on the whole Irish community. But in some circles, its members were sometimes the subject of contempt and ridicule.

Bet McSorley's was jumping!