Johnny Doc, enjoying the day.
The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t march up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway until Sunday, March 11, but anybody familiar with the parade knows the fun all starts a lot earlier.
So it was on Sunday, when the Second Street Irish Society hosted a big fund-raiser for the parade at their headquarters down in the Pennsport section of Philadelphia.
Party-goers made their way up the steep wooden stairs to the Society’s cozy third floor, there to catch up with their friends—both the friends they see all the time and the friends they hang out with once a year for a few short but busy weeks in February and March. There was music, too, the band Clancy’s Pistols stirring things up with rebel tunes like “The Broad Black Brimmer of the IRA.”
The Society’s dancers took to the hardwood floor for a preview of the style they’ll show in the parade, followed by the Society’s pipes and drums band, whose drones probably shook a few bricks loose.
Grand Marshal John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty and parade officials showed up toward the end of the celebration, there to thank the Second Streeters for their generosity and hospitality.
Dougherty spoke few words, but managed to convey the spirit of the season: “Being Irish is more than St. Patrick’s Day, having a beer in an Irish pub or getting an Irish tattoo on your 16th birthday.” He urged the assembled guests to take pride in their heritage every day of the year.
We’re guessing you don’t need any further reminder.
We captured a bunch of photos from the fund-raiser. In the days and weeks leading up to March 11, look for more such celebrations.
