By Kate E. Salute
It mattered not. "Everyone is Irish on Irish day," the guy yelled.
It was Irish Day in Long Beach, specifically the Long Beach Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernian's day-long party in the West End celebrating St. Brendan the Navigator.
The community, equally Irish and honorary Irish, brought chairs out to the sidewalk with their snacks, beverages and little white signs giving Olympic scores to the the many pipe and drum bands, the passing Hibernians, men, women and children, Irish step-dancers, VFWs, antique fire engines and police cars. Just about everyone got either a "9.5" or a "10."
The loudest cheers came at the end when the sanitation department came by and really got a sense of how much they are appreciated in Long Beach.
Starting at Washington Boulevard and proceeding along Beech Street, all facets of Irish-American culture were represented short of a rugby team. "I think it was a bigger, longer parade this year," said Eileen Melia Hession, a Beech Street resident who held an Irish day house parade, an annual event for her friends and family.
"I love this day because of the camaraderie of all the Long Beach people, I just love Long Beach," said Mary Schwenk, a Long Beach resident for 28 years.
"We had such a beautiful brunch before the parade, the neighbors, the friends all out together. It's a great day," said Betty Perrone.
Four-year-old Gabrielle said, "I like the trucks and the horses," while enjoying the celebration at the Bailey home on Beech Street where people came from all over.
"We got here at 11 a.m. We came up from D.C. for this, we come every year and this year we brought two friends," said Gerie C. "Later we're going down there" she said pointing to the West End, "going to do the Long Beach crawl and then come back and finish it off."
"Haggis, Irish soda bread, wings, the whole nine yards," chimed in Karin Cinquemani.
Down the street from the Bailey residence, the festival continued with games, bouncing castles and slides. Bars were overflowing with people and Irish tunes.
This St. Brendan's day was the fourth that Ben Plaia, Jesse Dlabola and Sebastian W. have attended.
"We come for the basic Bs of satisfaction," said Sebastian. "Babes, beers, the beach, the bars and barrels of fun," said Plaia.
Kevin Rooney is a bag piper with the City of New York sanitation pipes and drums, which makes him an expert on these matters. "It's a nice road, nice and flat and the event is well attended, which is important when you come out for these things. There is always a nice turnout in Long Beach," said Rooney.
When the sun went down the games and such for children's amusement went with it though the crowd was still as boisterous as it had been six hours earlier. However, by this time the masses had dispersed from the street and were mainly contained to the walls of such bars as Minnesota's, Shines and The Inn - even if they were only three foot walls making the bar look like a game farm where the animals are within an arms' length.
The clamor went on through the night. When the bars closed the congregations in green (green shirts, green pants, green shoes and even green hair) went in search of food and a place to lay their heads.
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