The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City was way back in 1762, and was organized by Irish soldiers serving in the British Army. It wasn’t much of a ‘piss-up’, and wouldn’t become one for another 100 years or so. But after the potato famine, New York became home to one of the largest Irish populations in the world. And as their numbers swelled, the Parade got jammers. Today, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade is the city’s largest, with an average attendance of around 2 million. The place is ‘rubber.’
(Editor’s Note: It happens to be Roanoke’s biggest parade by far as well!)
In 2023, March 17 fell on a Friday, which is a pretty great day for holding a parade. But the weather was raw, with temperatures in the 50s, little sun and a whole lot of wind. So some folks might have been looking forward to 2024, when the 17th would shift forward one day to a Saturday, which always makes everything jammers and produces quite the ‘hooley.’
But stall the ball! Some folks are just realizing that, since 2024 is a Leap Year, the 17th went all ‘arseways,’ jumped right past Saturday and landed on Sunday. That’s ‘banjaxed,’ – and downright diabolical!
One might think that that might keep folks off the drink, but then one would be an ‘eejit. Since there’s no drinking on “Jayzuz’ Day,” the only rational thing to do…unless you are off your rocker…is move the Parade… to the previous Saturday!
So, no worries, everything’s crackers. And, looking forward, it will be only 4 years until we come to the next Friday/Saturday sequence in 2028/2029, and New York will once again be bi-ennually ‘bolloxed.’
We’re on the pig’s back. The Big Apple is about to pissed paralytic by Paddy.
