Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these words as you lift your glass to friends and family:
May the road rise up to meet you
And may the wind always be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the raindrops fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the small of his hand.

A GREAT DAY FOR THE IRISH

     There may be always an Ireland, and beyond that lovely prospect, always 100 parades around the world to celebrate March 17th.
     But from 11:00 a.m. until about 3:00 p.m. on an island called Manhattan, where a green stripe runs down the middle of Fifth Avenue from 44th to 86th Street, The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of New York City’s greatest traditions.
     On St. Patrick’s Day a kind of wonderful delirium takes over in Gotham.
     Everyone is Irish!
     The annual procession marches up Fifth Avenue, past St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 50th Street, all the way up past the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 83rd Street.
     The St. Patrick’s Day parade in NYC began even before there was a United States of America in 1766, when Irishmen from Ireland’s Revolutionary War brought the tradition here.
     Military units continued to march each year until after the War of 1812, when local Irish fraternal and beneficial societies began sponsoring the event.
     In those days, the parade was quite small, marching from local Irish meeting halls to Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Lower Manhattan on Mott & Prince Streets.
     By 1851, the groups had banded together, nominating a Grand Marshall and increasing the size of the parade.
     This was when the Irish 69th Regiment (now the 165th Infantry) became the lead marchers, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians became the official sponsor.
     We love St. Patrick’s Day.
     It’s when the “Irishrey” of New York come out in full celebration. Look into the faces of the uniformed services, especially the NYC Firefighters and you will get it right away.
     We also like that St. Patrick’s Day Parade remains true to its roots by not allowing floats, automobiles and other commercial overkill.
     Marching, great bands, bagpipes fill the air as more than 150,000 people from all over the country and the world celebrates here in New York.