Well it’s no secret that James Kirby and Margaret Kirby Foley will be the Grand Marshals of the fifth Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade. A Press Release was sent out a few weeks back. Both honorees are thrilled with their nomination and are also looking forward to the The Grand Marshall Ball. This year’s festivities will be held Friday November 28th the day after Thanksgiving at Flowerfields in St. James.
“The Grand Marshall Ball traditionally goes along with the parade to honor the upcoming Grand Marshall,” said Gerry Creighton, parade organizer. She says they started the parade in 2011 and honestly wanted to get the parade right before we started plans for the Ball. “We had our first ball last year (honoring Deacon Trodden) and it was a big success; this fundraiser helps pay for the expenses incurred hiring bands etc.,” she continued.
Creighton says she loves being part of the Committee and has been involved since the parade was conceptualized. The busy wife of a Town Councilman says in addition to the parade honoring the Grand Marshalls gives KP the opportunity to celebrate its long-seated Irish heritage. How long does it take to put on what’s become one of the single largest St. Patrick’s Parade in a few short years?
Ask that question to anyone on the committee and they all give a vigorous laugh. “It’s a year round prep. we start in April to get ready for the following year,” she explained. Like many of Irish decent in Kings Park, Creighton is sad that her parents were never alive to see the parade. So many of the women left Ireland as young teens to come to Kings Park to find jobs – they were so young but they were strong proud Irish women. Creighton should know, her beloved mother was one of them.
“Now we know why they didn’t throw a St. Paddy’s Parade, -it’s a tremendous amount of work,” she laughed.
Few things get Kevin Professor of Professor’s Diner more excited than talking about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Like Creighton, he is a founding member of the committee and is best known for wearing his kilt in the parade; a beautiful hand-made gift from KPHS teacher and Hibernian Kevin Johnson.
Lifelong resident Pete Biggane says it’s one of the highlights of his year. He can be found on the perimeter of the parade on parade day generally on his bike with a walkie talkie!
This year’s Grand Marshalls James and Margaret Kirby have devoted themselves to the Kings Park community along with their siblings Pat and Denis. The children of Peg and Dennis Kirby, their grandparents hailed from County Mayo.
The two of them have a gaggle of kids and grandkids and James is a proud United States navy WWII Veteran who served as Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Social Services from 1965 until he retired in 1983.
Margaret attended St. Catherine’s Hospital Nursing School in Brooklyn and cared for the community members while working at Huntington Hospital, St. John’s Hospital (now St. Catherine’s) and St. Johnsland Nursing Home in Kings Park.
The Grand Marshall Ball is Friday November 28th at Flowerfield in St. James and cocktail hour begins at 7:00 p.m.
Check out the St. Patrick’s Day Facebook Page for more information.