Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade

Holyoke Saint Patrick's Day Parade parade is hosted every year on the Sunday of the week of Saint Patrick's Day. Each parade usually attracts around 400,000 spectators from all over the United States of America. Past participants have included President John F. Kennedy, two Speakers of the House and other notable officials.[2]

Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade
StatusActive
GenreParade
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Holyoke, MA
CountryUnited States of America
InauguratedMarch 16, 1952[1]
Attendance400,000
Organized byHolyoke St. Patrick's Parade Committee
Websitehttp://holyokestpatricksparade.com
March 21, 2021

History
Then-Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy in attendance at the 1958 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade, receiving an honor as an "outstanding American of Irish parentage" from parade committee President James F. Millane, on the lawn of the Holyoke City Hall.[3] Following Kennedy's assassination, the award was renamed the "John F. Kennedy National Award" in his honor.[4]

Drawing on the Irish heritage of Holyoke, in its earliest days known as "Ireland Parish", the inaugural Saint Patrick's Day Parade was hosted on March 16, 1952, after a group of local businessmen met at the local Brian Boru Club and proposed the idea. Since that time the Holyoke Saint Patrick's Parade Committee which has since grown to more than 100 people and presents multiple awards to distinguished citizens every year.[5]

As with the United States at-large, the parade has been widely participated in by people both of Irish and non-Irish heritage alike,[6] and has come to be a reflection of Holyoke's syncretic culture, an example being local vendors selling such combinations as Café con leche with Irish soda bread, and wide variety of bands participating from all over the country, including but not limited to, the Aqua String Band, the Hawthorne Callaberos, and the Tian Guo Marching Band.[7][8][9] Citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020 the parade and several associated events were cancelled for the first time in its 68 year run.[10]

Attendance

Parade Spectator Estimates By Year (1952–Present)

Year Spectators (est.)
195225,000[11]
1960100,000[12]
196560,000[13]
1970100,000[5]
1975200,000[14]
1980250,000[15]
1985175,000[16]
1991250,000[17]
2003250,000[18]
2009350,000[19]
2011400,000[20]
2017400,000[21]

Since its inaugural event in 1952, the parade has grown substantially; while the first parade saw around an estimated 25,000 spectators in recent years the estimated number of spectator's has exceeding 400,000, approximately ten times as many people as there were residents of Holyoke as of the most recent census.[11][21] The event, considered as much a regional as local venue, attracts many spectators from surrounding states and even Ireland itself in recent years. In 2011 the UMass Donahue Institute estimated the parade brought in $20 million annually to the local economy, through its participants and spectators.[22]

Honorees
Robert Barrett Jr., president of the Holyoke Water Power Company and a recipient of the parade's Citizenship Award, tips his hat to spectators in the 1969 parade

Each year since its first iteration, the parade has had a parade president and grand marshal; in 1955 the first Colleen was chosen and given her own court and throne. Over the years a number of other awards have been created, including the Thomas Rohan Award (1957), named for the first grand marshall, for citizens contributing outstanding work to the parade; the John F. Kennedy Award (1958), named for its inaugural recipient, has been given to an "Outstanding American of Irish Descent" each year since that time and has included nationally known singers, actors, athletes, writers, an astronaut, mayors of Boston, several governors, senators, and Speakers of the House. Additional awards include the Citizenship Award (1966) honoring those of non-Irish descent who have made substantial contributions to the parade, the George E. O’Connell Award (1963) to members of the parade committee who have made longstanding efforts to fundraising, the Daniel J. Gallivan Award (1972) for others who have made significant contributions to the parade who do not reside in Holyoke, and the Ambassador Award (1992) to those who promote international ties between the United States and Ireland.[23]

Parade Honorees (1952–Present)[24]
YearGrand ColleenGrand MarshalJohn F. Kennedy Award Recipient
1952 Tom Rohan
1953 John S. Begley
1954 Daniel J. O'Connell
1955 Kathleen O'Sullivan Emmett C. Cauley
1956 Mary Monaghan Dr. Elmer J. Harrington
1957 Maureen Murphy William P. Sullivan
1958 Geraldine Lawler William R. Peck John F. Kennedy
1959 Ann Burke William E. Nolen Jeremiah J. Minnehan
1960 Sheila McCormick John J. Driscoll John F. Collins
1961 Susan Hobert Michael H. Moran Christopher Joseph Weldon
1962 Francine Dillon Maurice A. Donahue Bob Considine
1963 Joan Riley Eugene P. O'Neill William Gargan
1964 Kathleen Kennedy Jeremiah J. Lawler James B. Donovan
1965 Mary Ellen McGinty Joseph F. Lynch James J. Shea
1966 Margaret Shevlin Joseph J. Kelly Edward M Kennedy
1967 Janet Kelly Desrosiers Thomas W. Padden Tommy Loughran
1968 Una Petcen William J. Dean Larry O'Brien
1969 Deborah Kennedy James F. Millane Richard Cushing
1970 Kathleen Welch Frank R. King John N. Dempsey
1971 Ann Marie O'Brien William G. Rogers Pat O'Brien
1972 Nancy Rainville David M. Bartley Timothy J. Dacey, Jr.
1973 Sherry Lee McFadden Timothy J. Sullivan John W. McCormack
1974 Mary Ann Croke George E. Frost Jim Bishop
1975 Martha Marie Donohue William W. Mahoney Thomas P. Salmon
1976 Ann Marie Abel Richard J. Murphy Edward Bennett Williams
1977 Patricia Marie Dean Francis J. Baker Jimmy Breslin
1978 Katherine M. Quirk Edward F. Sheehy Tip O'Neill
1979 Corrine Baker John F. Moriarty Dan Devine
1980 Patricia Ann Long James J. Shea Art Rooney
1981 Ann Dean Edward "Sarge" Nugent William A. Nolen
1982 Patricia O'Connor Maurice B. Martin Maureen O'Hara
1983 Karen Barrett John T. Hickey Joseph F. Maguire
1984 Alyssa Fitzpatrick James "Barry" Farrell Edward Boland
1985 Maureen Simonds James E. O'Leary Frank McGuire
1986 Kerry Ann Moriarty Leo Edward O'Neil William A. O'Neill
1987 Theresa Clark Anne Hearn McHugh Dennis Day
1988 Ruth Ellen Allyn Bernard M. Lavelle Thomas Flatley
1989 Anne Marie O'Connell Thomas J. Donahue Neil Sheehan
1990 Mary Deleva James K. Kelly Leo Edward O'Neil
1991 Christine Brill Patrick B. Bresnahan Carmel Quinn
1992 Candice McKenzie Edward B. "Pop" Coughlin Tom Clancy
1993 Heather Bresnahan Maurice J. Ferriter Mary Rose McGeady
1994 Kara Elizabeth Shanahan Robert J. Rohan Raymond Flynn
1995 Marikate Moriarty Charles W. "Bill" Dinn Eoin McKiernan
1996 Shaena A. Smalley Francis M. Baker Robert Stack
1997 Mary Kate Cartier John E. McHugh John J. Sweeney
1998 Kimberly Lyn Willis Daniel E. Tierney Richard I. Neal
1999 Abby Gordon Woods Francis M. Kane Patti Ann, Conor, & Steven McDonald
2000 Abbey Louise McLaughlin Francis X. Sullivan Richard E. Neal
2001 Elizabeth Ann Cartier Joseph F. McGuire John Shea
2002 Kathleen C. Joyce James A. Curran Daniel Coughlin
2003 Mary Kate Moynihan Peter F. Brady William J. Flynn
2004 Sheila Maureen Murphy Joseph V. Gosselin, Jr. Catherine Coleman
2005 Carolyn Patricia McLain Russell J. McNiff Sr. Tom O'Brien
2006 Katy Beth Brunelle Frederick L. Sullivan Tom Ridge
2007 Kim Erin Elliott Alan F. Cathro Dan Shaughnessy
2008 Ashley M. Reidy Ann M. Gibbons Fran Healy
2009 Ashley R. Tucker Christine Padden Zajac Joseph Loughrey
2010 Rosalyn C. Chesky Joseph M. McGiverin Dan Rooney
2011 Meaghan Leahy Gerald D. Healy David McCullough
2012 Brianna M. Fitz Barry J. Farrell Kevin O’Hara
2013 Brieanna M. Gresh Brian Q. Corridan Doris Kearns Goodwin
2014 Sheila S. Fallon Roger P. Donoghue Dick and Rick Hoyt
2015 Allyson Craven Raymond H. Feyre John M. Maguire
2016 Meghan N. Ryan Patricia C. Devine Micky Ward
2017 Margaret Walsh Jane Morrissey Ann Dowd
2018 Madelynne Kelleher David “Archie” Donoghue Archie Roberts
2019 Lauren Dulude Roger Reidy, Jr. T. J. Jagodowski
2020 Moira McDermott John “Jay” Driscoll David Glidden
2021

Media coverage

The parade also enjoys an audience beyond its participants, with more than 1.2 million viewers watching over the channel and online streams of local PBS affiliate WGBY, which broadcast it every year from 2001 through 2018.[25][26] WWLP resumed as the broadcaster of the parade in 2019 through its CW channel, and also included a livestream. Other local media outlets including WGGB-TV and the Springfield Republican also cover the event.

  • Various scenes of the Parade, 1973
  • Flag carrying officers of the Holyoke Police Dept. leading the Saint Patrick's Parade, 2019
  • Parade floats, including the Peter Pan parade bus, move toward downtown on Beech Street
  • The Caledonian Pipe Band performing in the parade, preceding the Grand Marshall's party

See also

References
  1. 1976 Congressional Record, Vol. 122, Page 6982 (March 17, 1976) Extensions of Remarks by Rep. Silvio O. Conte. Mr. Speaker, today, as the Irish- and as is popularly said, those who wish they were Irish-- celebrate the feast of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, I salute the 25th anniversary of the Holyoke, Mass. St. Patrick's Day parade. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the Irish-American community in that city and around the country in this Bicentennial Year on the great contributions the Irish have made to the building of America. The Holyoke St. Patrick's Day parade is an event that annually draws throngs of hundreds of thousands of spectators to the city of Holyoke. Twenty-five years ago, on March 16, 1952, the first Holyoke St. Patrick's Day parade stepped off on High Street under the direction of parade committee officials, William Lunney, president; William P. Sullivan, vice president; Thomas Mulvihill, secretary; and Emmett J. Cauley, treasurer.
  2. Holyokestpatricksparade.com Archived April 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Sen. Kennedy to Receive Plaque Sunday in Holyoke". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. March 11, 1958. p. 26.
  4. O'Connor, Katie (March 15, 2018). "Meet the 2018 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade Award winners". MassLive. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018.
  5. "Big Day in Holyoke". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. March 22, 1970. p. 1.
  6. Richard P. Mcbrien. Lives of the Saints: From Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to John XXIII and Mother Teresa. HarperOne. Retrieved 13 November 2010. The most famous church in the United States is dedicated to him, Saint Patrick's in New York City. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all ethnic backgrounds by the wearing of green and parades. His feast, which is on the General Roman Calendar, has been given as March 17 in liturgical calendars and martyrologies. The Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the USA, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America observe his feast on this day, and Saint Patrick is also commemorated on the Russian Orthodox calendar.
    • Rodriguez, Ivelisse (2019). Love War Stories. New York: Feminist Press at CUNY. p. 30. To this day, everyone in Holyoke still attends the Saint Patrick's Day parade. Can you imagine anything more absurd than a bunch of Puerto Ricans at a Saint Patty's Day parade?
  7. Armstrong, Price (April 4, 2019). "How Irish is Holyoke Actually?". Pioneer Valley Planner. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019.
  8. DeForge, Jeanette (March 18, 2019). "Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade attracts more bands, more floats, more crowds". The Republican. Springfield, Mass. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019.
  9. Harty, Patricia. "Holyoke's Irish Heart". Irish America. Irish America, LLC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018.
  10. "Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade, Road Race canceled due to coronavirus concerns". Chicopee, Mass.: WWLP 22 News. March 10, 2020.
    • Connors, Michael (March 10, 2020). "Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade canceled over coronavirus". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton, Mass. This year’s St. Patrick’s Parade and Road Race were canceled by the city Tuesday amid growing concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus — the first time in history the parade has been called off, according to a top parade official.
  11. "On Parade in Holyoke". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. March 17, 1952. p. 2.
  12. "Mr. Weatherman Smiles On Big, Colorful Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. March 21, 1960. p. 1.
  13. "St. Patrick's Cheeks Nipped By Weatherman in Holyoke". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. March 22, 1965. p. 1.
  14. Perkins, Robert; Siteman, Linda (March 24, 1975). "200,000 View Holyoke Parade". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 1.
  15. Lightstone, Helayne (March 24, 1980). "Irish strut their stuff; 'Sun of Erin' graces St. Patrick's parade". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 1.
  16. Lauer, Martin J. (March 16, 1985). "St. Pat's parade crowds expected to brave wet, chill". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 10H.
  17. Woodlief, Wayne (March 18, 1991). "Hopefuls join the show in Holyoke". Boston Herald. p. 9.
  18. "History - Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade". St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke, Inc. 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-04-30. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  19. "Western Mass. city holds St. Patrick's parade". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Mass. March 22, 2009.
  20. Vaisanen, Raija; Wong, Raija (February 2011). Economic Contribution Analysis of the 2011 Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade (PDF) (Report). UMass Donahue Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2018.
  21. Kelly, Ray (March 17, 2017). "2017 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade guide: Where to watch, what to know". MassLive. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017.
  22. Wong, Hinlan; Vaisanen, Raija (February 2012). Economic Contribution Analysis of the 2011 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade (PDF) (Report). UMass Donahue Institute.
  23. Past Parades (1952–2001) (PDF) (Report). Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2019.
  24. "Awards". Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade Committee. 2019. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019.
  25. "History of the St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke, MA". St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke, Inc. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018.
  26. "Holyoke Saint Patrick's Parade". WGBY Public Television. WGBY TV. Retrieved 3 March 2018.

Further reading
  • Blais, Madelaine (March 26, 1995). "The Queen of the Green". The New York Times Magazine. pp. 58–63.
  • Gold, Catherine Dower (2001). Fifty Years of Marching Together 1952-2001: A Social History of the St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke, Massachusetts Parade. Westhampton, Mass.: Edgar C. Alward & Jean A. Alward; Esparto Press.
  • Past Parades (1952–2001) (PDF) (Report). Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2019.
  • Wong, Hinlan; Vaisanen, Raija (February 2012). Economic Contribution Analysis of the 2011 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade (PDF) (Report). UMass Donahue Institute.
External audio
Holyoke in Green, 1:50, song by John Quinn, W.G. Records,
circa 1970
Queen of the Green, 3:11, song by Edwin Thaute, performed by John Quinn, W.G. Records,
circa 1970

Parade Committees

Surrounding municipality committees organized to send delegations of honored persons, floats, and community groups as contingents to the parade-

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