The Quinnipiac University Press Mayor William L. Strong (1885 -
1887) expelling Irish politicians like a latter-day (and implicitly
virtuous) Saint Patrick.
New York -- In the interest of advance
transparency, I have to say that I am imbued with a bias toward New
York's St. Patrick's Day so-called parade. Some say the whole charade
was begun by Irish soldiers in the British army going to Mass on that
day. So essentially, it's all about Irish hypocrites honoring another
Brit who had destroyed a perfectly good pagan culture by flattening it
with the hammer of Rome. It is not so much a parade as it is a
procession of the prim and grim who appear to be in pursuit of sin and
sinners up Fifth Avenue. It is an absolutely Roman Catholic affair that
has no connection to or with ancient druidic Ireland.
It is always led by the 'Fighting 69th' Regiment, a
group of mostly men renowned for shooting and killing other human
beings in wartime. The criteria for selecting the Grand Marshal are
secret, but one thing is certain democracy is not part of the deal.
Consequently, they have had crooked politicians and divorced Catholics
in the role.
It is not so much a
parade as it is a procession of the prim and grim who appear to be in
pursuit of sin and sinners up Fifth Avenue.
One of the greatest Irish labor leaders, Mike Quill, was kicked out of
the parade because he wanted to ride in a carriage. One of Ireland's
most talented writers, the irreverent Brendan Behan, was excluded and
so went to Newark's parade, where he was welcomed with open arms and
open bottles.
Once when my brother Frank and myself joined the
Limerick contingent, an officious 'mini-marshal' tried to persuade the
police to evict us, or worse, even though we were just having fun and
merely waving to the throngs on the sidewalk.
That being said, let me get to "Celebrating 250 Years of
the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade," the marvelous pictorial
history of the New York St. Patrick's Day celebration, as written by
John T. Ridge and edited by Lynn Mosher Bushnell. By the way, one group
you will not find in the book, nor the parade, is from the gay
community they are 'sinners' as opposed to the Ancient Order of
Hibernian 'saints' who run the parade, so they are out. In Ireland, gay
folk not only march in the various parades, but are also identified as
such, and many times are awarded prizes for being the best contingent.
But here they are excluded.
The Quinnipiac University Press Early illustration of the parade,
probably from the post Civil War period.
Outside of that, in the book there are pictures, paintings, drawings
and caricatures depicting the history of this March 17th event for the
last 250 years. It is probably the largest Caucasian event in the
world, as it is said that 125,000 people cavort up Fifth Avenue and are
observed by 2 million spectators, give or take 1,000. Interesting, too,
that unlike the slamming of Mayor Mike Bloomberg for a remark about
Irish drinking on the parade route, nobody seemed to take offense when
then-New York Gov. Hugh Carey said the Irish march up Fifth Avenue and
stagger down Third.
The text of "Celebrating 250 Years" is honest and
straightforward about the internal disputes that caused division in the
ranks of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or hibernates, as I prefer to
call them. The older and earlier marches were certainly more colorful,
as like those in the parades of our Hispanic brethren today, there were
floats, flower-bedecked stages and wagons galore.
One group you will not
find in the book, nor the parade, is from the gay community.
What is astounding is, in all the years it's been in operation, the
parade has never been cancelled. The book has some wonderful archival
photographs of people smiling in the snow, laughing in the rain, trying
to live up to that piece of doggerel song, "When Irish Eyes Are
Smiling."
Despite the brutal suppression of Ireland by firearms
and other weaponry wielded by Great Britain, those who display guns are
given prominence on this saint's day, they being the military-school
cadets, Marines, naval units, National Guard, and various police
organizations fully armed. Of course, there are still prancing horses
who lift their tails to get rid of some digestive awards to the delight
of many children and spectators. Note, this book is a treasure trove of
an aspect of New York City and its history never so readily available
to the general public.
Right or wrong, these conservative Irish stuck to their
swords and guns, their silly top-hats, their loud sashes, tailed
morning-suits, and marched and marched with all the tenacity of
jihadist Moslems, and this Quinnipiac University Press book is a
faithful, colorful, detailed history of the people who reached the
pinnacle of respectability, which I hope they will soon vacate and
become Irish again.
The Quinnipiac University Press 1999 Grand Marshal Maureen O'Hara,
with Mayor Rudy Giuliani (left) and Gov. George Pataki, in Saint
Patrick's Cathedral.
There is a list of grand marshals, including the brothers Bill and Paul
O'Dwyer, the women, Dorothy Hayden, Maureen O'Hara and a couple of
hundred others, like Mike Gibbons, Ray Kelly and this year, Mary
Higgins Clark. There was one man, because of his connection with the
IRA, was branded a terrorist, and the Cardinal fled into the cathedral
as he approached. There are many tidbits about things like the line of
march and rules of marching inserted within. I, for one, did not know
about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Pipe & Drum Band. J.
Edgar Hoover would have liked that, as he was fond of cross-dress, and
the kilt would be close enough.
Whether you are a sentimental Celt or a cynical one like
myself, you cannot help being moved by the hope on the faces of the
people photographed in this colorful memory book. Faces lit by
nostalgia for a past that never was and for a future that will never
be. The likes of this great collection, this 250 years of New York
history, even though one-sided, will not be seen again in our
lifetimes, so I urge one and all to get one while there are such things
as books in existence. Ah! Get two. WGT
Writer and actor
Malachy McCourt was born in Brooklyn
and raised in Limerick, Ireland, from the age of 3. His aplomb as a
raconteur lands him on the occasional talk-show. As well as being the
co-author of the play "A Couple of Blaguards" with his brother Frank,
Malachy has written his own New York Times bestseller memoir, "A Monk
Swimming," published by Hyperion Press. Malachy has been honored
by many organizations, including City Club of New York (Gadfly
Award), Turning Point Inc. (Humanitarian Award), World of Hibernia
(Super Irish Award), and NYCLU (Florina Lasker Civil Liberties Award).
More about him can be
found at www.MalachyMcCourt.com.
This feature was edited by Gerry
Regan
and produced by Joe Gannon.
