IrishCentral St. Pat's - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Irish Arts Center executives lead Sunnyside's St. Pat's for All parade (IrishCentral)

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:19:30 PST

By: IrishCentral Staff Writers

Record crowds turned out last Sunday afternoon for the 14th annual St Pat's For All Parade in Sunnyside, Queens.

Shock as New Haven Pat’s parade committee set to roast Orange man -- newspaper headline may win award for most head scratching of the year (IrishCentral)

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 05:30:38 PST

Robert ShanleyI have to tell you I did a double take with the following headline from the New Haven Register ‘New Haven St Patrick’s Day Parade Committee to roast Orange man’Now I know many in the parade committee do not exactly embrace their Protestant brethren, but roasting an Orange man sounds a bit extreme!Fortunately there is a rational explanation READ MORE

Occupy Dame Street protestors ignore personal request from Tourism Minister and St Pat’s Grand Marshal to move on (IrishCentral)

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:26:15 PST

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

Protesters have turned down an appeal from Ireland’s Tourism Minister to abandon the Occupy Dame Street camp ahead of the St Patrick’s Day festivities in Dublin.

Irish-American woman killed after St Pat’s party in Michigan (IrishCentral)

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 06:37:11 PDT

By: JEAN JAMES

An Irish-American woman on her way home from a St.Patrick’s parade party at Fenian’s Irish pub in Conklin, Michigan was killed after missing a stop sign.

Dialed down St. Patrick's Day (IrishCentral)

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 09:00:20 PDT

Dear readers, I've been sorely remiss in blog posts, but rest assured that Irish themes are never far from my brain and my life I've started a full time job as a reporter in Manhattan, and last week my reporting duties took me to the American Irish Historical Society on 5th Avenue on the Upper East Side The society is housed in a strikingly beautiful Beaux-Arts style townhouse, meticulously restored and grandly appointed with such trappings as 18th century Irish-crafted tables and treasures like the original flag that flew over the General Post Office during Easter Rising in 1916As I sat on an antique chair in front of a modernist styled maple coffee table chatting with the Executive Director, it occurred to me how easy it is to take Irish heritage for granted READ MORE

New Irish Prime Minister set for White House on St. Pat’s Day (IrishCentral)

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:28:32 PST

By: JAMES O'BRIEN

Visit our special St. Patrick's Day section

It's time for the St. Pat's standoff to end (IrishCentral)

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:40:05 PST

When the inclusive Sunnyside Wooside Saint Patrick's Parade stepped off on Skillman Avenue in Queens on Sunday, it was deja vu all over againThis year, like all the other years before it, the unique parade was one of the most joyous and colorful Saint Patrick's parades in the nation - and one of the most genuinely welcoming (The main Saint Patrick's Day parade on Fifth Avenue refuses to let gay Irish parade goers march under their own banners or wear sashes or badges that make it clear they are LGBT)But that's not an issue in the Sunnyside/ READ MORE

Mayor Bloomberg gets hostile reception at St. Pat’s parade in Queens, NY (IrishCentral)

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:29:53 PST

By: WALTER JOHNSON

Mayor Bloomberg was booed and catcalled by Irish parade goers in the Rockaways St. Patrick’s parade on Saturday.

Police chief announces major crackdown on drunks at St. Pats Parade (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:29:46 PST

By: JAMES O'BRIEN

After years of drunken incidents at the Hoboken St.Patrick’s Parade which takes place this Saturday March 5th, a major police crackdown will occur this year.

Senator Moynihan afraid he’d be shot by IRA at St. Pat’s Parade (IrishCentral)

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 01:19:39 PST

By: PATRICK ROBERTS

Why Irish gays march under their own banners in St. Pat's Parade (IrishCentral)

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:35:14 PDT

For years the final question that even well-meaning people ask about the ongoing controversy about the Saint Patrick's Day Parade is why do Irish gay groups insist on marching under their own banner? Heterosexuals don't do it, they observe, so why should gays?It's a good question Here's the answer: If no one can see you, or your struggle, it's much easier to pretend you don't exist Invisibility is the very thing that prevents you from achieving equalityBelieve it or not there are hundreds of thousands of Irish American LGBT citizens and the people who want to dismiss them out of hand are greatly helped when if they agree to airbrush themselves out of the picture READ MORE

Shamrock shortage in Ireland sparks St. Pat's fears (IrishCentral)

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:46:42 PDT

By: PATRICK COOPER

Special section / Saint Patrick's Day! Stories, music, videos, recipes, more! / Click here

St. Pat’s parades canceled as weather worsens (IrishCentral)

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:14:36 PST

By: PATRICK COOPER

Wilmington Delaware, York, Pennsylvania and Springfield, New Jersey are among the locations that have called off their St. Patrick’s parade because of the torrential rain and high wind expected on the East Coast this weekend.

You've spoken! For St. Pat's, drink Guinness in a Midtown bar with live Irish music and... (IrishCentral)

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:30:24 PST

The people have spoken According to the majority votes, it looks like I will be spending my St Patrick's Day by (drum roll, please) READ MORE

President Obama issues St. Pat’s Invite to Irish politicians (IrishCentral)

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:51:05 PST

By: APRIL DREW

President Barack Obama has extended an invite to Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen to hold a meeting on St. Patrick’s Day at the White House.

Dublin "riots" claim at St. Pat's disputed (IrishCentral)

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:32:32 PDT

By:

Cars torched, firefighters attacked, police bombarded and neighbors terrified: It was another fine St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, where inebriated mobs annually turn districts of Dublin and Belfast into a nightmare.

Donations Salvage St. Pat's Parades (IrishCentral)

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:04:28 PST

By: April Drew The New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which had to raise an additional $30,000 this year to run Connecticut’s largest parade successfully, has received the bailout they needed just in time for their big day on March 15. Brian Enright, the 2009 grand marshal, told the Irish Voice some weeks back that due to budget restraints, the city of New Haven couldn’t afford to pay overtime to police officers, a necessary presence on the streets for a safe parade, so they had to come up with an additional $30,000 or the parade was in serious jeopardy. “We are in really good shape. I think we are actually at our target. Although we are still down an actual $20,000 we have commitments for that so we are delighted,” said Enright on Monday. Connecticut’s largest parade has been marching up Chapel Street for the past 54 years, and thanks to the generous donations of the local Irish community and parade supporters in New Haven, it will survive another year. The New Haven Parade Committee, of which Enright was the chairman of in 2008, has to raise $80,000 to get the event off the ground every year, but when the Irish Voice caught up with Enright at his office a few weeks ago, he said the committee was under severe pressure trying to raise money now that an additional $30,000 had to be found from somewhere. Enright, attorney and president of Gorman Enright & Butler, told the Irish Voice in February, “If we can get everyone that comes to see the parade to donate just $5 then we can run this parade for a very long time.” That, said Enright, is exactly what happened. “We did get some $1,000 donations but a lot of people gave $10 and $25 donations and that was really encouraging,” he said. “All those small donations have really added up.” The 3,500 participants in the parade, which usually draws between 250,000 and 300,000 spectators every year, is the largest single day spectator day event in Connecticut, the sixth oldest parade in the country and the largest between New York and Boston. One of the biggest money earners for the parade was a “Save the Parade” fundraiser that took place on Thursday, February 19 at the Knights of St. Patrick in New Haven. The event was organized by the New Haven police and fire department chiefs and union representatives from around the state. “We received $7,400 in donations that day. People were just wonderful. Police and firemen came out of the woodwork to save our parade,” said Enright, who is a past president of the Knights of St. Patrick. Now Enright and the committee are less than two weeks away from their big event and they “just can’t wait.” Also feeling the punch from the economic blowout was the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is also scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 15. Michael Callahan, president of the parade committee, told the Irish Voice in early February that the committee was informed by the city that they could no longer provide funds for policing and sanitation, leaving them with a whopping $60,000 bill, money they simply didn’t have. The Philadelphia parade, the second oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country, usually costs about $70,000 to get off the ground, but this year the committee were faced with raising nearly double that amount. However after word got out on the street that the parade was in serious trouble, people began to dig deep into their pockets and give what they could to save the parade. “The bugle was blown and the Irish community in the greater Philadelphia area came to life,” said Callahan. “There has been a lot of generous contributions from a lot of small businesses and individuals. When you get a $25 check from an 86 year old couple in the suburbs of Philadelphia saying they have been watching the parade for years and they wanted to help out, it really means a lot.” After hearing that his own parade was in financial trouble, publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer Brian Tierney, through his company Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., pledged a large sum of money if the public came up with $20,000. However, Callahan told the Irish Voice on Monday that the committee has yet to see a penny from Tierney. “His promise is still pending,” said Callahan. According to Callahan, after Tierney promised help with the bailout, the Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., the owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News filed bankruptcy, citing debts of $390 million due to the downward spiral of advertising revenue and circulation, coupled with rising debts. Although not in the green yet — the Philadelphia Parade Committee still has to raise about $20,000 — Callahan is hopeful that all the money will be raised in order for the parade to be a success, despite a shorter route imposed by the city this year. “It’s good in one way because we don’t have to give all the money to the city by March 15. We will have a year to pay it all off, but this is not something we can do every year,” said Callahan worried. Raising such a large sum of money to run a parade was a huge undertaking this year and Callahan said he would be looking towards getting a major sponsor involved in the upcoming years. “I guess it’s the way forward,” he said. On Sunday March 8, a fundraiser will take place with the famous Irish group Blackthorn at the Springfield Country Club. Tickets for $25 are available at the door. Meanwhile, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade has not been affected by the city’s economic woes, or sponsorship. Ford Motor Company, one of the biggest parade sponsors, told the Irish Voice that despite their recent financial woes, they are very much a part of this year’s parade and have not scaled back their funding or vehicle participation on Fifth Avenue on Tuesday, March 17. Lisa Fleming, at the Ford Motor Company New York communications office, told the Irish Voice that New York City is a strong market for Ford and “the St. Patrick’s Day Parade has a long standing tradition in New York and Ford has always been proud to be a part of it and will be doing so again this year.” “What Ford gets out of it, in addition of celebrating with the community, is showcasing new products like the 2010 Ford Fusion that is coming out, and the new Mustang that will lead the parade.” READ MORE