The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year added two first-time marchers to the roster: The Lavender and Green Alliance, a group of LGBT Irish, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had boycotted the parade since he first took office until it became inclusive for gay and lesbian groups. Brendan Fay, who founded this Irish LGBT organization in 1994, made … [Read more...] about A Lavender and Green Parade for NYC
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Brigid and Patrick: Ireland’s Alter Egos
A thought has been nagging at me for weeks now. I've wrapped my mental faculties round and round it, attempting to convince myself it's just my imagination, but try as I might, it simply won't go away. So here goes: As far as I can determine, the U.S. and Ireland are the only two countries in the world that have alter egos. Before you decide I've gone totally off the deep end, … [Read more...] about Brigid and Patrick: Ireland’s Alter Egos
The Warring of the Green
New York's St. Patrick's Day Parade, one of the last major celebrations left to the Irish in America, has come under a barrage of criticism these past years; from ILGO, the Irish Gays and Lesbian Organization, who have protested their right to march, and also from local Irish newspapers, who have been denied the line of march, which went instead to The New York Post, known for … [Read more...] about The Warring of the Green
St. Patrick’s Day in May
The sign in the display in Clery's shop window on Dublin's O'Connell Street said it all: "Strong, bold...and proud to be Irish." The sentiment perfectly captured the spirit of the city's belated St. Patrick's Day festival this past May. St. Patrick's Day celebrations throughout the country were canceled in March due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that paralyzed … [Read more...] about St. Patrick’s Day in May