Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Parade 2015

With the Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday parade just hours away, I have NO time to write so I borrowed from a past post. Pardon the plagiarism. The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club was established in 1947 and has held a mass and parade for over 60 years. I’ve been attending for 6 of those. Over 1400 (often drunk) walkers in black suits and green accessories (many in kilts) exchange silk flowers for kisses from the women and children on the route. Then floats pass tossing cabbage, carrots, Oodles of Noodles, pickles, Moon Pies, Lucky Charms and Irish Spring soap in addition to the traditional throws of beads, toys and cups.

The parade always starts with the buggies of the Farhad Grotto Bug Patrol. The pom-pommed cuties of St. Alphonsus Catholic School followed before the dancing girls of Muggivan School of Irish Dance kicked their way down Jackson, their tightly curled hair piled stops their heads like ribbon on a gift. Next were the men of the Irish Channel Corner Club established in 1918, the Ancient Order of Hibernians founded in 1836 and the Law Enforcement Emerald Society. The Emerald Society invites law enforcement officers from other cities including D.C., Baltimore, New York, Boston and London! It still cracks me up to see the officers wearing hands-free beer necklaces and enjoying drinking in public. And I still get a kick out of the Celtic Highlanders‘ rolling bar, the Rogue’s Lair. For the men in the crowd, the Daughters of Lir also offer kisses for flowers and a giant swan. This year, the Milwaukee Police Band (America’s oldest police band) also strolled.

I did catch some of the tailed of the parade as well so look for photos throughout.

Looking forward to cabbage stew… For more history of the parade and its organizers, click here. Enjoy the photos and I did catch some of the tail-end of the parade as well so look for photos throughout.