Greenwich to Celebrate All Things Irish

GREENWICH, CT - The 42nd annual Greenwich St. Patrick’s Parade, sponsored by the Greenwich Hibernian Association, will take place on Sunday.

The parade will be led by Grand Marshal Cathy Lavaty, who will be accompanied by her husband Walter Kelly, and friends Carol Ann Mills, Rita Cody and Barbara Havranek.

Greenwich Police Officer Sean Welsh will blow the ceremonial whistle at 2 p.m. to signal the start of the parade in front of Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Rd.

Dozens of groups of marchers will participate along with Irish Dance groups along several bands including the Greenwich Pipe Band, Norwalk Police Emerald Society Pipe Band, Fairfield Gaelic Pipe Band, Port Chester High School Band and the Tappan Zee Bridgemen. The Wells Fargo stagecoach and the Cycling Murrays also will participate.

This year’s parade will recognize the 100th Anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. In 1916 a group of teachers, poets, labor leaders and revolutionaries declared an independent Irish Nation. While the Rising was eventually put down by the British military and the leaders of the Rising executed, the Rising put in motion a series of events that led to the formation of Ireland as an independent country. The 1916 Declaration will be read from the reviewing stand at the end of the parade.

The parade is supported by these business sponsors — The Greenwich Sentinel, WGCH 1490 Radio, Ceci Brothers Contractors and Dougherty Greenwich Legal, LLC.

Patch file photos. Credit: Barbara Heins.