By Paddy McCarthy
It great to get back to some normality after my trip to Ireland, not because I didn’t have a nice time, it was more the journey that was so long for a lot of reasons. I am not joking, it took me over two days to get over it as I was traveling about thirteen hours between plane, bus and train… I know, it’s like a song. I did get to meet a lot of old friends though and that was the pinnacle of my trip that makes me forget everything else and that’s what it’s all about. Next time I am going to be smarter with my timing and not make the same mistakes again, ahhh.
Now it all starts up at this time of the year as you all know what is coming up and of course that is the Saint Patrick’s Day festivities that we are all waiting for. We haven’t had the parade for the last two Saint Patrick’s Days and you all know the reason for that? Yes, you said it, the Covid-19 pandemic that basically stopped everything. But now we’re back with the New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, the biggest in the world that everyone loves. No matter what nationality you are, on that day everyone is Irish, ahh I love it. Next week I am going to talk about all the Saint Patrick’s Day parades you have coming up and that you might want to attend as well. I don’t want to spoil things too early as between now and March 17th I will have a lot to tell you about events and as you can imagine a lot of events are happening when I am Out&About.
Now I am going to introduce you to some events that are happening in the next week or two starting with the Grand Council of United Emerald Societies Inc.’s 2022 Irishman of the Year Dinner. The 2022 Irishman of the Year Dinner will be held on Wednesday, February 23, from 7 pm to 11 pm at Antun’s (96-43 Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village).
Another event that should be supported is The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust’s fundraiser and dedication on Saturday, February 26th, from 6 pm at Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers, where they will be dedicating a plaque in honor of Kevin Bell. As many of you know, their own trustee and past president Tim Murphy is very involved. His nephew Danny McGee, RIP, was tragically killed 3 years ago and the Trust aims to alleviate the financial hardships of bereaved families bringing their loved ones back home to Ireland. The Keven Bell organization will be present to dedicate a plaque on one of Rory Dolan’s benches. Please come out and support this worthy cause.
Tickets are still available for the Cork Association’s Annual Dinner on Saturday, March 5th at Antun’s. More information is available by emailing nycorkbpp@gmail.com. I will have more on the dinner next week. On the same evening you have The Society of The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on Long Island’s 36th Annual Emerald Ball at Caltun on the Park honoring 2022 Favorite Son Mike Kelly.
Mike is the Principal of Kelly Development Corp. focusing on developing residential sub-divisions, multi-family apartments and condominiums and commercial real estate and consulting on various real estate issues. Mike developed The Riverwalk in Patchogue Village, a project consisting of 163 condominiums; 126 multi-family unit apartments in the hamlet of Selden; 292 multi-family units in Farmingville and 30 active adult condo units in Bayport. Prior to forming his own businesses, Mike was Vice President of Pulte Homes of Long Island, a Fortune 500 Building Company specializing in land acquisitions, entitlements and land development. Prior to that, Mike worked for Tibi Development, (The Ranches) where he learned key elements of building, marketing and law. Mike has over 20 years of diversified real estate industry experience and has been involved in the development of over 2,000 homes on Long Island. He was also the President for the Long Island Builders Institute (twice) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation. Mike is also a member of the New York State Bar.
Mike is married to Kathleen for over 30 years and they are the proud parents of Thomas, John, Owen and Catherine Mary and they live in Stony Brook. This man well deserves this award, congratulations Michael.
This next event came from a great friend of The Irish Examiner USA, James Houlihan who said that he has been chosen to serve as this year’s Grand Marshal of the White Plains St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 12th in White Plains.
The parade kicks off at 12 noon at the intersection of Mamaroneck Avenue and Old Mamaroneck Road and proceeds north on Mamaroneck Avenue, turns rights on Main Street and ends at City Hall. The parade route is about a mile long. They will be hosting two floats for family, friends and employees. People can ride on the floats or march alongside the floats if you’d like to participate in the parade. There will be a mass on Saturday morning, March 12th at 9 am at Our Lady of Sorrows Church (920 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains). The mass is open to all. If you’d like to join them, please feel free to do so. If would like more information about the parade or help support the parade committee by purchasing baseball caps or lawn signs, visit whiteplainssaintpatricksday.com. He got everything in there and that’s what it’s all about!
My good friend Mary Courtney also asked me to also give the St. Pat’s For All Reception a blast: The organizing committee for the St. Pat’s for All Parade invites you to attend their reception on Saturday, March 5 from 4 to 6 pm at the Irish Arts Center (726 11th Avenue, on the corner of 51st Street). Tickets can be purchased at irishartscenter.org/event/st-pats-for-all-celebration.
The format of the event is slightly different this year—instead of a concert, they will have food and drinks and a few select performances from their favorite supporters. They are looking forward to an afternoon of reconnecting with friends after a two year hiatus—but they do ask that you book early as space is limited.
The 2022 parade is dedicated to the memory of Tarlach McNiallais, a long-time St. Pat’s for All board member, as well as an LGBTQ rights leader, advocate for people with disabilities, and human rights activist. They are honored that several of his family members will be with them at the reception and on parade day.
(Please note: The Irish Arts Center requires all attendees be vaccinated AND boosted—so kindly remember to bring proof of vaccination with you, as theater staff will be checking this at the door.)
The St. Pat’s for All Parade will follow on Sunday, March 6 starting at 12 pm from 43rd Street and Skillman Ave.
You want to have a fabulous Irish night out? Well here it is. The Irish American Society in Mineola has shared the news of an upcoming concert by Cherish The Ladies to be held at their center (297 Willis Avenue in Mineola) on Friday March 4th at 8 pm. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. For more information visit: www.irishamericansoc.com.
See you all next week when I am Out&About again…