St Patrick’s Day is coming up this month (March 17^th) and as a kid growing up in Boston, St. Paddy’s Day was a huge deal for us and full of fun. The day always started the same with everyone trekking off to St Columbkille Church for the 9am High Mass then we all crossed the street to the Parish Center for breakfast with Irish music and the local traditional Irish Step dancers putting on a show. 

We never had the need to dress up in green clothing because we all had grandmothers and relatives living with us who grew up in Ireland and spoke Gaelic and English with a thick brogue. It was clear to us that we were Irishers. Men would put a bunch of shamrocks or green carnations in the band of their Donegal walking hats, and I love that long-standing tradition which seems to have disappeared over time. After spending time visiting the homes of our relatives and scooping up our cousins, we went down to South Boston for the parade that goes on for hours and enjoyed the food and festivities along with a whopping good dose of kids run amok mischief added into the mix. I have wonderful memories of all the great times we had during those St. Paddy’s Day inspired celebrations. 

In the 1950’s, Yulan resident Marion O’Neill decided along with several of her friends that St. Patrick’s Day needed to be celebrated locally with a good old fashion community parade. And so, the Yulan St Patricks Parade was established and became a beloved town tradition for many decades. Due to an unfortunate incident, the Parade was cancelled years ago. In 2024 Town Supervisor John Pizzolato started plans to bring the Parade back and established the Marion O’Neill Culture Club as the organizing committee and the Parade tradition returned to Yulan in 2024. 

The Parade this year will be held on Sunday, March 15^th and it steps off at 1pm at the Four Corners in Yulan where Airport Road meets up with Beaver Brook Road. This year’s esteemed Parade Grand Marshalls are Debra Conway, The Town of Highland Historian, and the Executive Director of the Delaware Company, a Not for Profit that promotes and supports historic sites in the Upper Delaware River Valley, including the operations at the Fort Delaware Museum in Narrowsburg, and John Conway, the President of the Delaware Company and has been the Sullivan County Historian for over thirty-three years. 

This year the Parade will feature the largest group of marches. I do not want to spoil any surprises, but the Parade will feature local fire departments, ambulance companies and local businesses, church organizations, live music will be on the route by Brian and Rose Doherty Trio, parade commentary provided by Mike Edison and Martha Worzel and Ruth’s Face Painting will be on hand to make sure all the kiddoes are beautifully painted up looking Parade ready! In an amazing turn of luck, this year’s Parade will have an honest to the good lord himself Bagpiper whose traditional tunes will get the Parade off on the right foot for sure. 

A new feature will be a Pre-Parade Breakfast and beverages starting at 10am at the Park Bar located across from Fireman’s Field in Yulan. Several local restaurants will be offering an Irish dinner of corned beef and cabbage, including Crossroads Restaurant and Bar, Back to Bakers Restaurant and Bar, and The Park Bar - all near the Parade Route. Updates to the development plans will be shared in next week’s column. As the luck of the Irish would have it - there is more than enough of the St. Patty’s Day spirit around to see us all through!