Bay Ridge was awash in green on Sunday as the neighborhood celebrated a milestone — the 30th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Under sunny skies, a record crowd lined Third Avenue to cheer on the marchers, filling the streets with Irish pride.
For many attendees, the parade was a single-day event. But for the passionate team behind the scenes, it was the culmination of a year’s worth of dedication and hard work.
This year’s milestone parade featured a reimagined logo inspired by Irish genealogy maps, an idea spearheaded by parade marshal Frank Petric. The commemorative shirt designed for the occasion featured a map of Brooklyn where individuals could include their names, serving as a tribute to both heritage and community.
“We’re very happy about that,” parade president Richard O’Mara told Brooklyn Paper ahead of this year’s march. “We’re trying to push that merch to help with the fundraising.”
Fundraising remained a crucial aspect of the parade, with proceeds supporting scholarships for children from local parishes. To date, the parade committee has raised more than $90,000 for Catholic education.
The parade, which began as a modest procession in 1993, has grown into a grand celebration of Irish culture, honoring notable Ridgeites and hosting bands and organizations that have participated year after year. At home on Brooklyn’s southwestern shore, Bay Ridge has been home to Irish immigrants since the late 19th century, and the parade has served as a powerful display of faith and community in the face of a constantly changing neighborhood.
This year’s parade also served as a tribute to the late Mike Long, a beloved Bay Ridge leader who played a key role in founding the event. The 2024 procession was led by Deacon Kevin McCormack, the superintendent of Catholic School Support Services, who was honored as grand marshal.
Flanking McCormack were deputy marshals Michelle Brady, Brendan Farley, James Harkin, Mary Heaney, Brian Maguire, Thomas Mohan, Jennifer Potter, Michele Dempsey-Soto, Lynda Thomson and Petric. Local businessman Brian Chin was 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 Gene Reilly played a pivotal role in the parade’s founding, was recognized as the Irish Family of the Year.
O’Mara called the day a “huge success from start to finish.”
“From our beautiful celebration of Mass at a packed St. Patrick’s Church, to the blessing of the 1916 Easter Rising Memorial headstone adjacent to the church, to the celebratory Honoree Breakfast before the parade kick-off, to the march itself – the day was infused with a palpable love of community, charity, Irish culture and tradition,” he said, noting that nearly 80 groups, 20 bands and nine floats made their way down the avenue.
And the record crowd, he said, made the day “one to remember for the ages.”
“The Committee is honored and humbled by the support of the entire Bay Ridge community, as we work tirelessly year-round in the hope that we can have a day like the one we all experienced [Sunday],” O’Mara said. “Families, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances joining as one on a sunshine-filled day to celebrate our beloved St. Patrick and Bay Ridge – we were truly blessed throughout!”
