Throggs Neck celebrates Irish pride and culture with annual St. Patrick’s Day parade

Parade revelers enjoyed the 26th annual Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Photo Gabriele Holtermann

After heavy rain drenched New York City on Saturday, it was the luck of the Irish on Sunday as the elements had cleared up in time for the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Throggs Neck.

The Throggs Neck tradition kicked off at noon at the corner of East Tremont and Lafayette Avenue on March 10. More than 50 marching bands and groups made their way down East Tremont to Harding Avenue and were cheered on by a few thousand spectators, many decked out in shamrock green attire and waving Irish flags.

John and Majella Brady were this year’s grand marshals. The owners of P.J. Brady’s, a local bar and restaurant on  3201 Philip Ave., said it was an honor that the Throggs Neck Benevolent Association chose them as grand marshalls.

“We’re honored and we have friends and family come out for this special day in Throggs Neck, which has been here for 26 years now,” John Brady said.

“It’s great to see so many people from the neighborhood that you know. some people that you haven’t seen in a long time come back for today,” Majella Brady added.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ron Watson was the event’s emcee. According to Watson, events like the St. Patrick’s Day and Veterans Day Parades keep the “neighborhood strong.”

“When you try to keep the fabric of a neighborhood strong and resilient, it’s important that we have these types of events,” said Watson, who also chairs the Veterans Day Parade committee.

The Irish LGBTQ group Lavender and Green Alliance carried its banner in the parade for the third year. Brendan Fay, who founded the group in 1994, was moved and proud to see the welcome his group received from the crowd.

“Everybody has a story about a cousin, a family member who is transgender or gay,” Fay said.

It wasn’t always the case that an LGBTQ group was welcomed to march in the Throggs…