For the thousands who line Third Avenue for the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade each March, the celebration is a one-day event. But for the passionate team behind the scenes, the celebration is so much more than a “Sunday Funday.”
This year, as the parade marks its 30th anniversary, organizers are reflecting on three decades of tradition while finding ways to keep the event fresh and relevant for a changing neighborhood.
As the parade approaches, the planning committee hosts a number of big events, including its annual Dinner Dance at El Caribe — a lavish affair featuring dinner and dancing — and its Kickoff Party at The Leif Bar, a lively pregame to the annual parade and the unofficial start of St. Patrick’s Day parade season in Brooklyn.
“What we do is we run all these fundraisers with the help of bingos, paint parties — whatever ideas we can get into our heads,” said parade president Richard O’Mara. “The rest of the year is spitballing new ideas. After every parade, I give everyone a week off, and then we go back in, we autopsy what went right and wrong, and try to grow the parade year after year.”
To mark this year’s milestone, O’Mara said, the committee reimagined the parade’s logo, drawing inspiration from Irish genealogy maps.
The idea, spearheaded by parade marshal Frank Petric, resulted in a commemorative shirt featuring a map of Brooklyn, where individuals could include their names — a tribute to both heritage and community.
“We’re very happy about that,” O’Mara said. “We’re trying to push that merch to help with the fundraising.”
Fundraising remains a crucial aspect of the parade, with proceeds going toward scholarships for children from local parishes. To date, the parade committee has raised $80,000 for Catholic education.
“The Diocese of Brooklyn is grateful for the parade’s special connection to our Catholic schools,” said John Quaglione, deputy press secretary of the Brooklyn Diocese. “The scholarships awarded to graduating Catholic grammar school students are true examples of goodness and charity.”
For 30 years, Quaglione said, the parade “has been a powerful display of faith and community.”
“Our schools are looking forward to marching this year and celebrating our very own Superintendent of Schools, Deacon Kevin McCormack, ” he said.
Additionally, funds raised help cover the costs of keeping Third Avenue lit and vibrant for the celebration. The thoroughfare’s shamrock string lights are paid for each year by the parade committee.
The parade, which started as a small gathering on Fifth Avenue, was first put together by longtime Bay Ridge leader Mike Long and a dedicated team of organizers. While today’s committee isn’t trying to outdo its founders, O’Mara said they are committed to keeping the tradition alive and adapting to the times.
“The neighborhood has changed,” he said. “We use this as sort of a reunion — people come back every year.”
Nestled along the southwestern shores of Brooklyn, Bay Ridge has been a haven for Irish immigrants since the late 19th century. The Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade traces its roots back to the nabe’s earliest Irish residents. What began as a modest procession in 1993 has evolved into a grand celebration of Irish heritage, attracting thousands of spectators and participants.
The brainchild of the late Gene Reilly, former owner of the Lief Erickson Pub on Fifth Avenue, the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade has honored countless notable Ridgeites and hosted a number of bands and organizations — many of whom have continued to participate year after year. The parade is also rooted in both Irish and American history, paying tribute annually to those lost in the 1916 Easter Rising, a pivotal moment in Ireland’s fight for independence.
This year’s parade will also serve as a dedication to Long, recognizing his contributions to the community and the event. Deacon Kevin McCormack, who O’Mara described as a great representative of both the Catholic faith and Irish culture, will lead the procession as grand marshal.
Now the superintendent of Catholic School Support Services, McCormack has dedicated 40 years to Catholic education — including 37 years at Xaverian High School, 15 of which he served as principal.
Flanking McCormack this year are deputy marshals Michelle Brady, Brendan Farley, James Harkin, Mary Heaney, Brian Maguire, Thomas Mohan, Frank Petric, Jennifer Potter, Michele Dempsey-Soto, and Lynda Thomson. Local businessman Brian Chin will be honored as this year’s “Honorary Irishman” in recognition of his dedication to the parade and the Bay Ridge community.
The Reilly family — whose patriarch played a key role in founding the Bay Ridge parade — will be celebrated as this year’s Irish Family of the Year. Their contributions span generations, O’Mara said, shaping the parade’s history and keeping its traditions alive.
Gene is among the few honorees to have held both Deputy Marshal (1995) and Co-Grand Marshal (1998) titles. His son, Eugene, marched alongside him as a Deputy Marshal in 1998, while his daughter, Kathy Reilly, made history as the parade’s first female Grand Marshal in 2002. The tradition continued with Gene’s daughters Julie Walsh (Deputy Marshal, 2011) and Megin Reilly (Deputy Marshal, 2023).
Beyond these honors, the Reillys have remained deeply embedded in the parade. Gene’s sons, Eugene and Philip, have proudly marched with the FDNY almost every year. Gene himself emceed the parade’s annual Dinner Dance, often joined by his son John and daughter Kathy. His wife, Margaret “Mrs. Reilly,” was a beloved presence, proudly waving her American and Irish flags from a vintage car or horse-drawn carriage along the parade route.
“If Gene was alive today, he would be very proud of how much the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade has evolved over the years, but at the same time has stayed the same,” reads a bio for the Reilley family posted to the parade’s official Facebook page. “From a tiny seed planted in 1994 with the idea of having another Irish parade promoting Irish history, Irish culture and its Catholic faith, Gene’s vision has flourished.”
The 30th Annual Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off on Sunday, March 23 at 1 p.m. The march will begin at Marine Avenue and Third Avenue, proceeding down the bustling thoroughfare to 67th Street, past the 77th Street Grandstand, where dignitaries and honorees will be introduced.
Thousands of spectators are expected to cheer on a procession of marching bands, Irish dance troupes, community groups and more — if O’Mara gets his way with the weather.
“I already put in the call,” he laughed.
