23rd annual Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade to kick off March 20

Bay Ridge will be going green once again on Sunday, March 20, as the nabe will once again be home to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The procession will kick off at 1 p.m., at Marine and Third Avenues, heading to 67th Street.

First started in 1993, this will be the 23rd celebration of the Irish-American holiday in the neighborhood

This parade in particular will be dedicated to the 1916 Easter Rising and will give thanks to the brave men, women and children who gave their lives in pursuit of an Ireland free from British control.

The day before the parade, at 2 p.m., at St. Patrick’s Church, Fourth Avenue and 95th Street, there will be the dedication of a stone commemorating the Easter Rising.

There will also be a dedication for Larry Morrish, one of the founders of the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade, who died in February. Linda Gallagher, vice president of the Bay Ridge Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, stated that they are remembering him whenever possible; a moment of silence was held in his memory at the dinner dance on Saturday, March 5.

The day of the parade, there will be a 9:30 Mass at St. Patrick’s, with marchers lining up at noon. This year’s Irish family of the year, the Sullivan-O’Connor family, will be in the parade, which will be led by Grand Marshal James McHugh, accompanied by Deputy Marshals Clorita Galvin, Brian Kelly, Kathleen Burke, Patrick Harkin, Maura Coughlin, Rhea McCone, Peter Whalen and The Canny Brothers Band. According to Gallagher, these people are what Bay Ridge is all about.
The reviewing stand will be located at 77th Street where there will be commentary by Peter Clavin.

Last year, the parade committee began an education fund to aid eighth grade students in the five local Catholic schools who are headed to Catholic high school in the fall. Through a merit-based awards system, each student who is chosen will win a $1,000 scholarship. This year, thanks to many donations, ten children will be awarded.

For more information on the parade and the committee’s other events visit bayridgestpatricksday.com.

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