NEW YORK — Millions are expected to once again line Fifth Avenue on Thursday for the return of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The longtime tradition is back after a two-year absence because of the pandemic.
New York Army National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry regiment — or the Fighting 69th, as it’s known — will lead the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the 171st time.
“Even last year during COVID times and 2020, the battalion didn’t march, but our battalion commander took the colors and did the parade route even though there wasn’t a parade just to keep the tradition going,” battalion executive officer Maj. Michael Clifford told CBS2’s Alice Gainer.
The Fighting 69th was originally a militia unit for Irish immigrants, and in 1851, they were asked to lead the annual parade of Irish Catholics in case of anti-immigrant violence.
“It is an Irish brigade. You can see it all throughout. Our mascots are wolfhounds, Irish wolfhounds,” Clifford said.
To honor their legacy, during the parade, they carry a fighting stick made of blackthorn wood from Ireland and wear a sprig of boxwood.
“Hopefully this will be the sign of a new beginning for New York City and for the country post-pandemic,” said Hilary Beirne, with the parade and the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Foundation. “We are honoring, this year, first responders and also American labor and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Irish state in Ireland.”
At noon, the parade will stop in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral to say a prayer for those who died of COVID-19.
“And also who we lost the anniversary of 9/11, we were unable to recognize that last year,” Beirne said. “The police department, the fire department, the port authority and 69th regiment will have color guards in front of the cathedral. They will play taps and ‘Amazing Grace.’ Once that’s done, we will re-start the parade.”
Though not all eyes smiling on the parade route will be Irish, they still celebrate the unit’s Irish roots just as proudly.
“The battalion as it is today transformed and really takes on the population of the city, so although many of our soldiers are not Irish in heritage or descent, they all are Irish here when they come to the 69th,” Clifford said.
As they say, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
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