In Ireland a day of thanksgiving was held to honour Saint Patrick. It was in America at the end of the 19th Century that the Saint Patrick's Day Parade grew in importance. The Irish flag bears green and orange but you will see no orange in a Saint Patrick's Day Parade. My daughter Alyza was a member of the Hamilton PAL Twirlers for 10 years and marched in 10 Saint Patrick's Day Parades. I was a marching mom 7 of those years. The first year 'we' marched in a large parade in Woodbridge, New Jersey. One year we marched in Philadelphia's parade. The other 8 years we marched in the Hamilton/Trenton Saint Patrick's Day Parade. This is our hometown parade which began in 1986 and has grown in significance in the tristate area.

This is my dad and his favorite Irishman Paullie partaking in the local celebration or how 'bout an Irish coffee? 1 oz.whiskey,1 teaspoon sugar,1 heap of fresh whipped cream and strong coffee.