After a two year hiatus, the Greenwich St. Patrick’s Parade returns on this coming Sunday March 20.
The 46th annual parade promises to be one of the largest in recent memory. There will be ten bands: Greenwich Pipe Band, Fairfield Gaelic Pipe Band, Fairfield County Police Pipes and Drums, Westchester Firefighters Pipes and Drums, Iona College Pipe Band, Essex County Emerald Society Pipe Band, Portchester High School Marching Band, Tappan Zee Bridgemen, Nash Drum Corp., and Wholly Brass Band.
In addition there will be at least forty-five groups of Greenwich schools, scouts, fire and police departments and civic organizations marching.
Irish Step Dancers will perform from three local schools – Lynn Academy of Irish dance, Anam Cara Irish Dance, and Harney Pender Keady Academy of Irish Dance. A number of antique and vintage vehicles will be in the parade and the always popular Pyramid1 Shriners Motor Patrol will perform in their miniature cars.
The Cos Cob Volunteer Fire Department will be driving the spectacular 1935 American LaFrance Metropolitan 400 Senior firetruck (click here to learn the remarkable story of how this fire truck came home to Cos Cob). This firetruck boasts a 754 cubic inch V-12 engine producing 240 horsepower and a 1000 gallon per minute centrifugal pump. It was the third made out of only 146 ever built. William “Bill” Simpkins, found the truck in a barn in Bethlehem Pennsylvania covered in dust. He restored the engine and cared for her for the past 40 years.
The parade, led by Grand Marshal John Toner, will begin at Town Hall at 2 p.m. when Greenwich Police Officer, Kevin Ingraham blows the ceremonial starting whistle. Kevin’s Irish ancestors came from Counties Tyrone and Cork. His family has lived in Greenwich for one hundred years with many of its members serving the town as firefighters and police officers.
Grand Marshal, John Toner was born in Greenwich, the son of Bartley and Rose Toner, both immigrants from Ireland, he from County Donegal, she from County Tyrone.
The 2022 Grand Marshall for the Norwalk St. Patrick’s Day Parade (scheduled for March 19) and former Greenwich resident, William Maloney, will be a special guest of honor for our parade as well. William was born and raised in Greenwich with his three sisters, Laurie, Linda, and Moira by his parents, Lawrence Maloney (a former selectman) and Mary Connolly Maloney.
The Maloney family has three generations of ties to Greenwich, Connecticut after immigrating from Counties Carlow, Cork and Killarney. William began his career in Greenwich Police Department serving for two years before moving to the Norwalk Police Department where he served for 41-years. In fact his uncle, William Connolly, was Grand Marshal of the Greenwich St. Patrick’s Parade in 2013.
