March 17

Image via Wikipedia

I'm not a celebrant of St. Patrick's Day anymore. The kids are grown, so no more corned beef dinners or fresh loaves of soda bread. Many of us L.I. Baby Boomers though, have St. Patrick's Day Parade memories from our youth that always come back on the day.

Living in the shadow of Manhattan gave many of us the opportunity to attend the parade, first marched in 1762 by Irish soldiers who were part of the English military here in the British colony. The parade as we know it has grown to a cultural event that makes us all honorary Irishmen (Irishpersons?) on March 17.

The holiday originated in Ireland to honor the man credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people. So much for the meaning of the day. For many of us teenage Baby Boomers attending the parade and drinking beer in the Blarney Stone was a right of passage. Throwing up on the LIRR as we headed for home at the end of the day was a sure sign of a successful outing.