The kids from St. Denis School in Havertown showed their spirit. They were a sea of green.
It didn’t rain, it was brisk but not bone-chilling cold, and there was even an occasional glimmer of sun. If you were in Philadelphia on Sunday, March 13, for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, you couldn’t help but think that it was a good day to be Irish.
I had a different vantage point for this year’s parade. I was in it as a member of the St. Patrick’s Ring of Honor, a group traditionally chosen by the president of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association. This year, that’s Kathy McGee Burns.
It’s the first time I’ve marched (unless you count walking alongside from beginning to end taking pictures) so it gave me plenty of time to check out the crowds and take pictures of the smiling faces and the inventive ways people expressed their Irishness. One woman had a necklace with faux potatoes and a fake cabbage hanging around her neck and was wearing pointy-toed leprechaun shoes. Note to parade organizers: There should be an award given by the marchers for wildest costume in the crowd every year. Let’s make it retroactive and track this woman down.
If I ever march again, I absolutely want to be in the line of march before a group of nuns. We had the Sisters of Mercy behind us, celebrating their 150th year in Philadelphia. We Ring people were feeling the love when people cheered as we passed by, but once we heard, “Look, it’s Sister Christine!” and “Hi, Sister Marian!” we knew the only thing we were getting from the crowd were polite but perplexed smiles. We could almost see the “Who the heck are they anyway?” thought balloons above their heads. But at least they smiled—and all the kids waved.
We had three photographers out there–Jeff Meade, Gwyneth MacArthur and me–and while we didn’t catch all 200 organizations walking JFK and the Parkway, we did pretty well, we think, in capturing the spirit of the day in all those waves and smiles. Hope you think so too. Here’s what we saw:
Here are the parade winners as chosen by the panel of judges:
Hon. James H.J. Tate Award
(Founded 1980, this was named the Enright Award Prior to 1986)
Sponsored by: Michael Bradley & Mike Driscoll
Group that Best Exemplified the Spirit of the Parade
2011 Sisters of Mercy
Msgr. Thomas J. Rilley Award (Founded 1980)
Outstanding Fraternal Organization
Sponsored by: AOH Division 39, Msgr. Thomas J. Rilley
2011 Cairdeas Irish Brigade
George Costello Award (Founded 1980)
Organization with the Outstanding Float in the Parade
Sponsored by: The Irish Society
2011 Cavan Society
Hon. Vincent A. Carroll Award (Founded 1980)
Outstanding Musical Unit Excluding Grade School Bands:
Sponsored by: John Dougherty Local 98
2011 Philadelphia Police & Fire, Pipes & Drum Band
Anthony J. Ryan Award (Founded 1990)
Outstanding Grade School Band
Sponsored by: The Ryan Family
2011 Hartford Magnet Middle School Marching Band
Walter Garvin Award (Founded 1993)
Outstanding Children’s Irish Dance Group
Sponsored by: Walter Garvin Jr.
2011 Cummins School of Irish Dance
Marie C. Burns Award (Founded 2003)
Outstanding Adult Dance Group
Sponsored by: Philadelphia Emerald Society
2011 Crossroads School of Irish Dancing
Joseph E. Montgomery Award (Founded 2006)
Outstanding AOH and/or LAOH Divisions
Sponsored by: AOH Div. 65 Joseph E. Montgomery
2011 AOH & LAOH Division 51 Fishtown
Joseph J. “Banjo” McCoy Award (Founded 2006)
Outstanding Fraternal Organization
Sponsored by: Schuylkill Irish Society
2011 St. James Alumni Association Choir
James F. Cawley Parade Director’s Award (Founded 2006)
Outstanding Organization selected by the Parade Director.
Sponsored by: AOH Division 87 Port Richmond
2011 2nd Street Irish Society
Father Kevin C. Trautner Award (Founded 2008)
Outstanding School or Religious Organization that displays their Irish Heritage while promoting Christian Values
Sponsored by: Kathy McGee Burns
2011 St. Denis School
Maureen McDade McGrory Award (Founded 2008)
Outstanding Children’s Irish Dance Group Exemplifying the Spirit of Irish Culture through Traditional Dance.
Sponsored by: McDade School of Irish Dance
2011 Christina Ryan Kilcoyne School of Irish Dance
James P. “Jim” Kilgallen Award (Founded 2011)
Outstanding organization that best exemplifies the preservation of Irish-American unity through charitable endeavors to assist those less fortunate at home and abroad.
Sponsored by: Michael Bradley
2011 AOH Division 1 Dennis Kelly (First year for this award)
