St. Patrick's Day at MC
Julia Lavelle
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: Features
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The NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the oldest and longest running parades in the world. The Parade started in 1762 and the people of New York have marched ever since. It was originally started by homesick Irish military men who were serving with the British Army in the American colonies and continued to grow as an expression of Irish pride. The Parade is held on March 17th and marching begins at 11am. It starts at 44th Street and marches up 5th Avenue past St. Patrick's Cathedral, continuing until it ends at 86th St.
If you are planning on going to watch the Parade there are a few spots that are best for viewing and for avoiding crowds. The officers of The St. Patrick's Day Parade Inc. suggest that a great place to see the long line of marchers is the upper steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you'd rather get a close-up view of the marchers your best bet is to stand at 86th Street where the parade route ends and the marchers disband to go celebrate. Crowds can best be avoided by watching from anywhere North of 66th St. because most people want to see the action below 59th.
Manhattan College is one of the schools that gets to march in the NYC Parade every year. They are led by the MC Pipes & Drums. This organization was established in 1981 and allows for students and alumni to come together to learn and practice the skills of bag piping, drumming and marching. Currently there are 15 students and 25 alums involved in the band. The Pipes and Drums are led by Pipe Major Thomas McCarthy and President Mike Hogan, both graduates of Manhattan College. The organization is open to both men and women and people of all different backgrounds. The process of becoming a member takes two years of training. This year was a recruitment year and some of the students had no prior musical training but they have practiced long and hard to become part of the group that will march all this month.
Freshman Sean Yeaman auditioned this past week to be able to march with the group and is really looking forward to the Parade. He said he is excited to be "part of all the hype." He joined the Pipes and Drums so that he could be part of tradition and to show that he is proud of his Irish heritage.