The St Patrick's Day Parade In NY-Older Than The Republic Of The USA

Since 1762 in Manhattan, 1st in the area of what is Chinatown, until 5th Avenue, from W and E 44th Streets until East 86th Street, there have been 247 Consecutive St Patrick's Day Parades:

From the Time of The 13 Colonies, until the Present, there has been a Self-Sustaining Parade. In 1938, it was a 1 Hour Parade, due to the Great Depression. There were plans to cancel the 1945 Parade, until President Truman intervened and requested to keep it going for The Morale Of The Troops, in WWII;

Michael J Gibbons is the Grand Marshall for the 2009 Parade(#248). He was installed as Grand Marshall, last evening. Last season, Football(Soccer) Commentator TOMMY SMYTH(Y Not The I) was Grand Marshall;

The Parade Chairman, John Dunleavy, who, for 25 Years was a Bus Driver and Superintendent for MaBSTOA, follows in the Tradition of The Late Francis Beirne, who started with 5th Avenue Coach Lines and retired from MaBSTOA. It was often known that when the Irish landed in NY, they often became Bus Drivers for 5th Avenue Coach and Surface Transit Corporation, and even in the early days of MaBSTOA, or Manhattan And Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority;

There are people who often call for all Ethnic Parades to be replaced by an America Day Parade, but this Parade is not only a celebration of Irish Culture in America and Of The Catholic Faith, it's very much a celebration of America, Herself, as The Parade has been marching since before the Republic of The United States Of America;

NBC4 and The Travel Channel will carry the parade on March 17th at 11:00AM. It will be seen around the World, via the World Wide Web, streaming live. It is seen live online in Eire;

Slainte!