Bay Ridge St. Patrick's Day Parade—in less pandemicky times
Where (and how) to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Brooklyn this year
How parade organizers, pub owners and performers are preparing for a safely festive celebration of Irish culture—green beer and all
While St. Patrick’s Day was initially an observance of the death of the patron saint of Ireland, it has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture. And green beer. After all, who but the Irish could turn a commemoration of death into a global kegger? Yet while the city remains in Covid limbo, the packed pubs and hordes of green-clad revelers will have to wait—again—but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good craic.
The most obvious and iconic St. Patrick’s Day event is the annual parade, which has marched through Manhattan since the 1700s. But Brooklyn boasts not one parade, but two: The Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Park Slope and the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade. While these events are not happening again this year, parade organizers are still finding ways to recognize the holiday.
“We’re encouraging the community to celebrate the day however they feel most comfortable,” says Richie O’Mara, Vice President of the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. “If able to safely do so, we’d love to see them support the businesses in Bay Ridge that have weathered this pandemic.”
As a show of solidarity, the parade committee has published a list of local businesses that will be hosting festivities all month long.
Where to go in the borough this week
It’s not just in Bay Ridge where businesses could use a boost, and Brooklynites looking to mark the holiday can do so throughout March at a number of local spots, including McMahon’s in Park Slope, Hartley’s in Clinton Hill, and Farrell’s in Windsor Terrace—one of the oldest bars in Brooklyn.
In Sunset Park, Irish Haven will still be a haven to those looking for a fête. A neighborhood institution since 1964, the bar has been forced to reinvent itself during Covid. They have updated their menu options, created outdoor dining structures and are selling merchandise online. “We are scraping by and look forward to returning to some ‘normalcy.’” says co-owner Matt Hogan. Part of this includes hosting a St. Patrick’s Day event, although the day will be acknowledged “in a properly muted way,” Hogan explains. The bar will be adhering to the indoor dining occupancy rules and offering plenty of outdoor seating. Visitors can expect festive decorations, good music, corned beef sandwiches and homemade Irish soda bread, as well as plenty of Guinness.
“We have all made a lot of sacrifices in the last year,” says Hogan. “There’s a sense of loss. However, there’s also a building feeling of perseverance.”
The month of March, usually the biggest money maker of the year for the Irish community, feels less spirited across the board this year. “It has been a big disappointment for the entire Irish community,” admits Rosemarie Coulson, president of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 22, an Irish-Catholic fraternal organization based in Gerritsen Beach.
And yet, there is still room for celebration as people learn to adapt, and the LAOH will be marking the holiday in a Covid-friendly way. On Saturday, March 27, the group is hosting a free outdoor event that will include Irish dancing, live music, traditional food and more. They have taken great care to adhere to Covid regulations, and much of the celebrations will be held in the outdoor space at Baile na Ngael, the group’s meeting hall in Gerritsen Beach.
BIDC in action
Last weekend at The Craic, an Irish-owned bar in Williamsburg, visitors were treated to a patio performance from the Brooklyn Irish Dance Company. While March is usually jam-packed for these Irish dancers, the show at The Craic was their first live performance in months. “We are hopeful for a return to the stage this summer and fall as New York City continues to open up,” says Erin O’Donnell, Founder and Executive Director of Brooklyn Irish Dance Company. In the meantime, the company will continue to dance when and where they can—outside, masked and socially distant.
Many other performers have also had to improvise in this way. The Canny Brothers Band, a traditional Irish singing group based in Bay Ridge, have had most of their regular gigs waylaid by the pandemic. In the past, the band has been booked all month long at venues in and around the city, including a regular show at Ulysses in the Financial District, where they have played for the last 10 years. Instead of live performances at parades, dinner dances and pubs, the band is considering playing outdoors or organizing a livestream. They’re also booked for several virtual events including the Annual East Durham Irish Festival.
“Hopefully we can be back in 2022,” says band member Thomas Canny. “There are a lot of clichés about St. Patrick’s Day, but the holiday is very meaningful for us. With the band, we feel we are celebrating and sharing our culture and traditions—in our own small way—and having a blast playing so many songs we love.”
