Brooklyn celebrates its Irish heritage: ‘It feels like all of Ireland is here’
PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — To many, the real St. Patrick’s Day parades take place in neighborhoods across the tri-state area.
While Saturday’s parade in Manhattan is 263 years old and perhaps the largest in the world, the Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day parade has just as much joyous Irish spirit.
Welcome to a St. Patrick’s Day parade that is all about the neighborhood, friends, and family.
The Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day parade, in its 49th year, brings together residents of all backgrounds to celebrate what the Irish have given to the fabric of life in New York City, particularly in Park Slope.
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The Clann Eireann Irish Pipe Band, the oldest continuing pipe band in the US, led the way with the Irish Step Dancers from the Buckley School Of Dance close behind.
PIX11 asked parade organizer Mary Hogan how this Brooklyn parade differs from Manhattan’s.
“They’re a lot bigger and older,” Hogan told PIX11. “But we’ve got just as much spirit, and we can highlight what’s special about Brooklyn.”
“We don’t take any public money. We are fully supported by everyone in the community,” stressed Michelle Brennan, chairperson of this year’s parade.
One of the biggest parade supporters is the 91-year-old Farrells bar on Prospect Park West.
Farrells didn’t welcome women until the 1960s, but one co-owner is female.
“It’s the living room of the parade,” Samantha Horan, Farrell’s co-owner,” told PIX11 News. “Everyone goes there, and then they come here,” she added.
And both longtime Brooklynites and those newly arrived cherished this day to celebrate all things Irish.
“It’s happiness, fun, good times, and absolutely all-inclusive,” Rebecca Viragh, a parade goer, told PIX11 News.
Another parade goer just arrived here from Dublin.
“This is our third week here, and it feels like all of Ireland is here,” Eamon Sharkey, parade goer, told PIX11 News.
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