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Irish for a day
By Twila Van Leer
Deseret News staff writer
Sure and 'twas a bonny brave sky that greeted the crowd cheering for the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Salt Lake City Saturday. And even when the sunshine disappeared behind gathering clouds and a brisk breeze dropped the temperature, there was a holiday atmosphere.
At least they didn't get rained or snowed upon, and in Salt Lake City in mid-March, that's a good day.
For almost two hours, a lineup of anything Irish (and some entries not-so-Irish) followed the shamrock path from 600 East down 300 South to the Gallivan Center. It was the 24th time the Hibernian Society of Utah has sponsored the March event and thousands of spectators lined the route to share in the fun.
If you weren't Irish, you could pretend to be. Sporting a typical green leprechaun hat, Rosina Trujillo made no claim to the auld sod but was entering into the spirit of the day to support Bethel 16 of the International Order of Job's Daughters, one of some 200 units to march in the parade. Her friend, Valene Neifer, also sported green. There were many green hats (some extending the invitation "Kiss me, I'm Irish," others boasting, "I'm proud to be Irish") green shirts, green coats, green blankets wrapped around little shoulders to fend off the cool.
Along with the Nevilles, Moriartys, McGrews, Connaughts, McShanes and McDonoughs in the crowd were plenty of McJoneses, McSchultzes, O'Garcias and a few O'Tanakas, not to mention others whose place of origin didn't matter — they were all Irish for a day.
Among the authentic Irish were John Murphy, who met his wife, Marjorie, in Cork, Ireland. "Murphy was also her maiden name," said John Murphy. "Her grandfather and my dad were first cousins." Their daughter, Claire, was one of those in the step-dancing groups whose stiff-armed, high-stepping clatter took them down the parade course. Chatting with the Murphys before the event began were Larry and Alice Finnegan, who also trace their roots back to the Green Isle.
For Grace Sperry, the parade was a happy reminder of her recent experience during the Olympics as the designated driver for Irish International Olympic Committee representative Patrick Hickey. He also is secretary general of the European Olympic Committee, she said, shuffling between Dulbin and Rome to conduct Olympic business. For the Salt Laker, it was a memorable interaction with bona fide Irish citizens and a great prelude to the St. Paddy's parade.
Parade marshals, the members of Salt Lake's Urban Search & Rescue Task Force One, acknowledged the cheers of those on the sidelines graciously. The unit was one of the many sent to New York from around the country to assist in rescue operations after the devastating Sept. 11 attacks at the World Trade Center.
Dogs were big. Some of them very big. A cohort of spindly-legged Irish wolfhounds was at the forefront of the lineup, followed throughout by dogs of all sizes and descriptions, most of them garbed in green — green sweaters, green hats and ribbons, green belly wraps and, on a rare occasion, green dye.
A jovial Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson shared a horse-drawn coach with the mayor of Thurles, Utah's sister city in Ireland. Michael Hickey, Hibernian of the Year, also had an honored spot near the front of the parade. Monsignor George Niederauer, Catholic bishop of Salt Lake City, surrounded by pint-size escorts wearing green hats, also was among the dignitaries, as was Paul O'Conner, a member of the Irish cross country Olympic team.
A standout was the young band member who had missed the point of the day and had his hair dyed the popular copper-red that is the rage among teenagers. He was an aberration in the sea of green.
Contingents from most of the area's Catholic schools brightened the lineup. Children from St. Vincent de Paul School provided about 20 "legs" for a huge shamrock-decorated "snake" recalling the legend that St. Patrick drove all the serpents from England as he went about Christianizing the island. Even Mrs. O'Leary's famous cow — the one that allegedly knocked over the lantern that ignited the devastating Chicago fire of 1871 — was honored with a contingent of marchers, some of them dangling "udderly ridiculous" inflated rubber glove underpinnings.
Although bagpipes and kilts are more associated with Ireland's neighbor, Scotland, there were several bands, including the stately, dignified Salt Lake Scots unit, that added to the occasion. Davis High School's snappy drum corps also repeated an intricate street-size marching routine that had people clapping from 600 East to State.
As the parade dispersed just west of State, the St. Patrick's Day festivities adjourned to the Gallivan Center to round out another year's celebration of America's Irish heritage.
E-mail: tvanleer@desnews.com
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March 17, 2002
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