Brooklyn celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with the borough’s 48th annual parade on Sunday afternoon, with revelers making their way from Bartel-Pritchard Square to Prospect Park Southwest.
Although the holiday fell on a Friday this year, organizers continued the parade tradition ensuring all attendees enjoyed the sunny day, celebrating and hopefully getting some ‘Luck of the Irish’ along the way.
The parade first started in 1976, with a group of Brooklyn Irish American citizens coming together to celebrate and remember the contributions that the Irish community had made to the U.S.
The group – the Brooklyn Irish Parade Committee – was founded by Kaye Brideson, Kathleen McDonagh, Joan McLaughlin, John Carroll, Richard Henry, Ann McAvey, and Peter Heaney.
“It’s just so enriching and just feels great [to celebrate] because at the end of the day, everyone is from the neighborhood and everyone’s all friendly and everyone’s just looking to have a good time,” said parade organizer and grandson of the parade’s founder, Patrick Heaney on March 19. “[We’re here] to have some fun, have a drink and enjoy life.”
This sentiment was echoed by other parade attendees who gathered to enjoy the day as well as celebrate their Irish heritage.
“Everyone [here] seems to be Irish so it’s just about having fun and enjoying it,” said one attendee. “It’s a celebration of tradition, history and culture.”
Parade participants included members of NYPD and FDNY and local clubs and organizations who all came together to celebrate their heritage.
The parade also featured traditional bagpipe playing, Irish line dancing and of course plenty of green attire.
“I just love it, the Irish heritage, the proud Irish people, it is just an amazing thing to see every year,” said parade organizer Maureen Heaney.
