‘Green is the color;’ St. Pat’s Parade honorees acknowledged at annual gala   

While St. Patrick’s Day is still more than a month away, one wouldn’t know it stepping foot inside El Caribe Caterers in Mill Basin Saturday evening — with the sounds of bagpipes resonating through its rooms, and various shades of green popping up upon every turn.

Indeed, Irish eyes were smiling, and merriment was in the air, as the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee hosted its 29th annual dinner/dance before more than 350 guests. 

The annual tradition serves as a chance to publicly honor the parade’s grand marshal and nine deputy marshals in front of family, friends and supporters. 

The 2024 slate of honorees included Grand Marshal Daniel Flynn; and Deputy Marshals Marianne Curran-Fezza, James Hart, Tressa Deady-Kabbez, Michael Fitzpatrick, Karen Prizzi, Will Gillen, Karen Puckhaber, Michael Lennon and Thomas McDonagh. 

In addition, the 2024 Honorary “Irish Persons of the Year” were Joe and Janice Martinez.  And members of the Coughlin family were recognized as “Irish Family of the Year.”

All honorees are expected to march at the 29th Annual Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 24. It is slated to step off from Marine Avenue and Third Avenue, and move down to 67th Street. The reviewing grandstand is located in front of the Greenhouse Café (7717 Third Ave).

Parade President Richie O’Mara told the Brooklyn Reporter, “Every year we try to grow this event more and more. We are the last bastion of Irish parades in Bay Ridge, and it means everything to us and to the people we have left in the Irish community here.”   

Former State Sen. Marty Golden, who was also in attendance, pointed out that the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a key factor in keeping the Bay Ridge community thriving.

“People from all over the city come down to this parade, and it really gets the neighborhood engaged,” Golden said. “You want to keep our avenues alive, and make people want to live in and be a part of Bay Ridge — and that’s what I believe it does.”  

Chris Coughlin, whose family was recognized as “Irish Family of the Year,” was originally on the committee that started the parade in 1994.

“I marched in the parade with the band for 42 years, and my father was in the band for over 50 years,” Coughlin said. “And as you can see by the turnout tonight, people still support each other.” 

Parade Vice President John Bennett pointed out, “This is great for Bay Ridge, which was once a very Irish community. It’s changed and gotten more diverse, which is nice — but this event, and this parade, brings back people who may have left the neighborhood; they come back for the parade and the dinner we have every year. It’s really a wonderful tradition.”    

Grand Marshal Daniel Flynn told the capacity crowd, “This is more than just a personal honor — it’s a celebration of the rich Irish heritage that has woven itself into the very fabric of Brooklyn’s history.”

Flynn went on to say that Bay Ridge has been a haven for many Irish families for decades. 

“So as we march through the streets of Bay Ridge in a number of weeks, let us not only revel in the festivities but also take a moment to appreciate the unity and diversity that made this community so special,” he said. “Let the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day be a reminder that regardless of our backgrounds, we are all bound together in the common threads of humanity.”