Long Beach faithful turn out for Irish Day

Overcast weather didn't stop annual event

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The weather was overcast and chilly last Saturday, but the threat of rain didn’t stop the 26th annual Saint Brendan the Navigator Long Beach Irish Day Parade from stepping off. Though attendance numbers were down from previous years, the annual parade and Irish Day Festival still attracted many from the community despite the usual crowds of out-of-towners staying away, possibly due to the threat of more serious weather conditions.

Each year, the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 17 hosts the parade as a tribute to Irish culture. It’s grown into arguably the biggest parade in Long Beach and is followed by the annual Irish Day festival in the West End, which showcases traditional Irish music, food and culture. But attendance was noticeably down this year after numerous reports last week that Hurricane Joaquin was making its way up the coast. The storm never made landfall.

“All in all it was pretty good — we take the good with the bad,” AOH member Ray McCann said. “Unfortunately the weather held everything up a little, but the parade went on as usual.”

The event features multiple marching bands, students from the Hagen School of Irish Dance and representatives from various schools, civic groups and organizations throughout the city. Charter member of the AOH William “Billy” Callahan served as the grand marshal for this year’s parade and festival.

McCann said that the annual grand marshal’s dinner at Minnesota’s was jam-packed and that Callahan seemed to be having a great time despite the weather.

In addition to the festival and vendors along West Beech Street, this year’s event saw the return of the Kids Zone at West School, featuring a family friendly entertainment and age-appropriate activities for children.

The Irish Day festival typically serves the dual purpose of extending the summer season a few more weeks for West End businesses. Megan Casey, co-owner of Shine’s Bar at 55 California St., noted that the crowds were smaller this year and mostly locals.

“It was better than a regular Saturday in October, and it’s still the best day of the year,” Casey said. “But I think the weather rained out a lot of festival attendance. At least we didn’t have an actual hurricane. We’re very grateful and we’re very proud of our Irish roots — we have our flag flying out there year-round.”