March 7, 2016 By Christian Murray
A large crowd lined Skillman Avenue for the ‘St. Pats for All’ Parade Sunday as they watched a multitude of Irish, gay and neighborhood groups march from Sunnyside into Woodside.
This was the 17th annual St. Pat’s for All parade and many of the traditional groups that have become a centerpiece of the event were out in force once again.
There was the FDNY bagpipe band and the McManus School of Irish Dance; LGBT groups such as the Stonewall Democrats and Heritage of Pride; and local organizations such as the Shannon Gaels Gaelic Athletic Association, Sunnyside/Woodside Girl Scouts and the Sunnyside United Dog Society.
As in years past, the parade drew City officials including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and State Sen. Mike Gianaris.
However, this year’s parade had a different tone than previous ones, due to the acceptance of a bannered LGBT group – the Lavender and Green Alliance, founded by St. Pat’s for All co-chair Brendan Fay – in the Fifth Avenue parade that will take place on March 17.
De Blasio had high praise for Fay and the Sunnyside/Woodside parade.
“This is a very special parade since it sent a message [to the Fifth Avenue organizers] that we can all celebrate our heritage and pride together,” de Blasio said. “We have arrived at a better place where we will all be marching together on Fifth Avenue.”
Van Bramer said that the St. Pat’s for All parade is what led to the change by the Fifth Avenue organizers to allow the Irish LGBT community to walk behind a gay banner.
“I would like to thank the people of Sunnyside and Woodside who have always supported this parade since it started,” he said.
St. Pat’s for All, one of Sunnyside’s most popular events, began as a predominantly gay-pride parade, organized by a number of Irish men and women who were not allowed to march in that parade under a gay banner.
However, the parade draws participants from a wide variety of local and ethnic groups and will remain a central part of the this neighborhood’s calendar, despite the original protest largely being over.
This year’s St. Pat’s for All Grand Marshals were renowned Irish author Colum McCann and Irish-American philanthropist Loretta Brennan Glucksman.
The parade also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising when a number of Irish Republicans sought to end British rule.
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58 Comments
Horse was Beautiful.
I thought the Gay cops looked pretty damn sexy in their uniforms !! They can frisk me anytime!!
They were cute
Yes Rocky Velvetknight noticed the trend and said Sean posted a “easily google-able” fact and you and your fellow Fox News followers “disliked” the post. Yes its an attack when it’s a fact you don’t want to hear or doesn’t fit in with the narrative of the propaganda you have been fed. You got it simpleton, blame Fox News.
People like Belle and Emily jump in with personal attacks – including attacks on entire areas of the country – but cannot take it when it is dished back to them. And Mac is always predictabl: #blamefoxnews. No wonder Little Jimmy has nothing to worry about!
Rocky, Macs post is not an attack on any areas of this country. It sighted US Census and Forbes Magazine comparisons and rankings of best and worst performing in various categories.You don’t know the difference? How do you compare information and perform data analysis? How do you determine if a policy is performing the way it should be? Mac is obvciously on the money in his assesment of you. Simpleton is putting it politely.
Belle needs grammar check it is cited not sighted but the queen of liberals can’t learn her grammar lol thin skinned
-luvu2 We see you have a non-formal education. Good, bad. black,white. conservative liberal. The very method used to teach the very slowest of students. I see the discussion of anything deeper then a “two demensional” detail of examination is just too overwhelming for your limited academic capacity. If you had been educated just one grade higher then pre-K you would have caught the “obvciously” speeling error. Your weak and child like post only confirms you recognize your inability for discourse and simple analysis. May I suggest an assistive technologies and Universal Design for Learning tool?
The parade featured an anti-semitic anti-Israel group which encourages violence against Jews. What does that have to do with Ireland???? Is the parade so desperate for participants?
Belle got caught with per pants down and can’t take it!
The hallmark of the unprepared humiliated troll who gets in over his head, can’t dispute the facts then attack the grammar. LOL
Grammar, Belle, grammar! You must have gone to a NYC public school.
Nobody has taken more money from middle class Americans then Republicans with their right to work for less legislation, outsourcing policies, endorsement of federal visa programs under false pretenses and flat out lies about shortages of computer programmers, nurses, lab technicians etc., changes in the tax code benefiting a handful of people at the expense of millions of others. Everyone posting here is right about you and your idiocy. The Republicans have already sucked most of the equity out of the middle class that’s why the middle class in America has fallen behind the middle class of Germany, Canada, Australia and Ireland just to list a few. All this damage is caused by uninformed voters like you. Suckers like you who believe it’s good for banks to write the countries banking policies, oil companies to write energy policy, insurance and pharmaceutical companies to write health policies. “Let business do what business does”. You’re a classic low information sucker.
-Belle Rocky and luvu2 never get tired of being exposed as the low information poorly educated blowhards they are. Facts truth and history do not matter to them, they’re Republicans as described by fellow Republican Bobby Jindal as the party of stupid. Don’t waste your time.
Spoken like a true lib who loves Mrs. Pantsuit. Feel the Bern, Mac. He’s coming for your money!
How many times can one person constantly post the word lib or liberal? This guy Rocky is one brainwashed fool who runs on buzz words. His academics are well below any underperforming elementary school in the worst districts of NYC. Just go and take a look at his posts.
Sunnysider, do you really expect more than a five word or less slogan from this obnoxious pea brain Rocky? Just look at the sophomoric nonsense he posts. As a first time visitor to this country for the Holy Season I am shocked to see such rude ignorance posted to this local blog. Posts like the ones this person Mr. Balboa has posted can not be the best this country has to offer. This anger must come from frustration as a result of a poor quality education. To instruct people to review this persons writing for the sole purpose to mock him seems cruel. Try to guide this lad with patience and dignity.
-Rocky Thats right let’s all vote Republican so we make sure we teach those minorities a lesson. No matter what the costs.
I comment hear and there but not often. So I’m used to how mean this can get. But at the same time, you people are almost like a dysfunctional family. You seem to hate each other while needing each other.
Mom always liked you best.
We need to fix Emily up with someone so she is happier.
Bunch of bullies. Politicians and all involved.. The parade is a disgrace and there is nothing Irish about it.
…Bullied their way into the St Patrick’s Day 5th Av parade and took away the importance this year of celebrating the 1916 Uprising/ 1922-23 Civil War, in Ireland, that many of our fathers took part in .. ..
-Pat The NYC St. Patricks Day Parade was going on well before the 20th century and any of those historically significant 20th century events you mentioned in your post. Some haters bulliy and others like you just lie and distort.
I love that Sean stated an easily Google-able fact and got five dislikes because of it (so far). I just looked it up, and yes indeed the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was in NYC in 1762, and eventually became widespread with the influx of Irish immigration in the mid-19th century – long before 1916.
Makes you wonder what kind of people kind of people “dislike” facts.
-Velvet Knight Dislike of easily verified facts? Read Gabriel Sherman’s biography of Roger Ailes.”The Loudest Voice in the Room”. Use of multiple social media ID’s and multiple ID’s on different comment streams to shout down opposing views using specific “talking points”. Ailes calls it “popular conservatism”. Make people believe your opinion is the popular opinion and the opposing view wildly unpopular (you know like Romney winning by 90%) then any with opposing opinions or on the fence will “just follow the crowd.” Facts truth and history do not matter..
Notice the Catholic churches boycott this display of political correctness
@Tab hunter the second- “Political Correctness” is code talk telling the uneducated and the easily influenced it is OK to be disrespectful and to behave in what was once a socially unacceptable behavior.
What’s your excuses then? Adrian thinks you look down on a lot of people who disagree with you.
No, David: PC is a way of silencing anybody who dares to disagree with people LIKE YOU OR EMILY.
-David Good point notice how Rocky jumped into shouting mode.
Yeah, but they were welcome to participate if they wanted to, just like everyone else. That’s the point.
Unfortunately their ban on prophylactics resulted in comments like yours.
Pat,
This year’s parade was dedicated in part to honoring the centenary of the 1916 Uprising! The parade journal, which was available in most of the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood, featured a copy of the 1916 Proclamation on the cover. The Shannon Gaels float included a 6-foot tall copy of the 1916 Proclamation. Quite to the contrary of your statement, parade founder Brendan Fay “highlighted” the importance of the 1916 Uprising.
See video evidence here: https://youtu.be/Uwhrz46E270
Not sure how you could actually watch this parade and say it “took away” from the importance of the events of 1916, or that there is nothing Irish about it!
-luv Breakdown and fly yourself down to Mississippi for the next teabaggers event you cheap blowhard of a bore. You better do it soon I hear the teabaggers have nearly bankrupt the places they gained power in putting themselves out of business in the process.
Was .hoping Emily would find a man and leave but no luck once she spouts her nonsense Emily is why trump is popular
-Tab Failed Republican policies are why Trump is so popular…Check out what Republican policy has done to Louisiana and Kansas. Then again policies don’t matter to Republicans..as long as they feel blacks and other minority groups are prevented from getting something in the process..
Adrian has some black Irish blood sand she thinks you are a racist Mac. You assume that black people think the way you do. Please bring back the street fairs so I can buy tube socks to help Creed fight.
-Rocky- Learn to read, my post is about how people like you think. Which failed Republican policies are you endorsing? People know the real reason you cast your vote, you’re not smart enough to fool anyone. It’s a proven and admitted Republican strategy called the “southern strategy”. Where in my post does it say anything about how black people think? Since you lack any vocabulary whatsoever I’ll make It easy for you,just copy and past it in your response.
Are you the Emily from the Blurred Lines video? Did not think so. She is really gorgeous.
It must have been wildly successful me and the wife returned from a Pearl River family event around 7:45 PM and were unable to get a table at Dog and Duck, Quaint , Alcove and ended up waiting a half hour at Kettle. Looked like a large crowd in good spirits. Sorry we missed it.
Yes, we live in Berkeley Towers on 39th drive. There are four 13 story buildings. The only way out by car is on to Skillman avenue. The police shut Skillman down at noon even thought the parade will not get there until 2 at the earliest. That’s easily 900 families that can not use their cars from noon until about 5pm. I have liked the parade from the beginning. I’ve always enjoyed it’s wackiness. I’ve marched a few times, including this year. But I wish the police would use a little more common sense regarding car traffic.
Glad to hear the parade was a success and the weather was quite pleasant for all involved.
Just one complaint, I live on 43rd street opposite the park. The signs were up on lamppost’s from last Wednesday for no parking on the forthcoming sunday.
most of the locals would know the reason why, and would park their vehicles elsewhere. I understand people finding parking spaces late on a Saturday evening In sunnyside, is like an finding an oasis in the desert, but the signs were up, and tough if you did not see them. So when the NYPD removal trucks turn up at 7.20 am sunday morning with cop cars sirens blazing all the way down skillman that’s total BS. Is it really necessary to have them bawling through their loudspeakers so early on a sunday morning ? for people to come out and move their vehicles, a bit over the top, So please NYPD do what you have done in previous years and remove the vehicles without the shenanigans of getting the whole street up on a morning that we are entitled to an extra hour in bed. just take them, quietly please. or leave it till 9am at the least. rant over.
So sounds like you watched the parade Luv child. Nice to hear you do come out from under your crashing boring cave once in a while.
I usually have a date do you? Doubt itv
@luvu2 Yeah a date with your TV and Fox News. Loser.
Belle, Adrian thinks you are very rude and should look at the shiny object and then count to three.
A crashing bore filled with liberal politicians . There were very few people watching it , one term deblasio was there this event is just a big wet kiss for democrat politicians
-Luvu2 Yea!! Lets all vote Republican so they’ll can turn the whole country into “Right to Work for less States” like they just did to Michigan and Indiana…Advancing their low wage agenda…Repeal the Affordable Care Act…..Throwing 17.6 million people back into the status of the uninsured…Outlawing Abortion and birth control adding 1.1 Million people annually to the ranks of the low and no income brackets…All this while they continue their tax cut agenda for the top earners….This sounds like a disaster for any country with a consumer driven market economy that uses a progressive system of taxation to fund and defend the country…. According to the US census data the 10 poorest states : Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Montana, Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina and Louisiana. They all have common denominator of being “Red States”. According to Forbes Magazine a Republican Contributor and the US Census, Maryland , Connecticut, New Jersey. New Hampshire, Alaska, Massachusetts, Virginia ,Hawaii, Delaware and California 10 Richest states by Median Household Income. Democratic strong holds seem to be over represented in this category. What’s the real reason you vote Republican? Making sure the blacks and other minorities don’t “get something for nothing”? You can’t be dumb enough to vote for Republican proven failed policies..Or are you?
Blame Fox News repeat start over lol
@Luvu2 Having trouble assuming responsibility for your own ignorance and gulibility?
You are going to get Berned!
thats a crock……Ohbewanna could have proposed this 7 years ago……no need to do a who revamp of the system and hurt people WHO HAD JOBS!….
expand medicaid or here is a plan
raise the minimum wage say $1 hour and then take that $1 an hour out to pay for your health insurance if you have none……..
.Throwing 17.6 million people back into the status of the uninsured
Your math is wrong.
-Rikki You have a number of things flat out wrong. 1. The employer based healthcare system was not meant to be permanent it was put in place after World War II as a form of financial enticement by employers in the US during a period of wage freezes after the war. 2. The US Employer Based Healthcare system is also much more expensive then all other nations in the world vs. GDP It is considered the worst bang for its buck in the world vs. GDP 3. The Employer based Healthcare System is the very reason there is no market based healthcare system in America. America Insurance system actually meets the definition of cartel. Do you normally post random data?
angela…..if your president wants everyone to have insurance than why di he make it so miserable for those that were happy with their coverage?
-rikki You are so under-informed and misinformed you’re a waste of a time and a joke. You’re a low wage Republican, where is the Republican plan? Happy with your coverage? If you’re as stupid as you have demonstrated in your posts, you were probably getting ripped off by the insurance company and didn’t even realize it. Maybe you should do a little research into the subject matter before attacking people with foolishness. Come back when you have enough knowledge of the topic to hold a discussion you simpleton…You’ve added nothing of value to the discussion and in broken illiterate English to boot.
Hey Riki: The only plans “disrupted” by the higher standards created by the ACA were plans that amounted to nothing more then fraudulent pseudo policies that actually met the legal definition of fraud in many states. They did you a favor. You would have found out the hard way if you were hospitalized with something seriousl.
Mac, you are the fool. How can we continue paying for people who don’t want to work, know how to play the system and get away with it since the Democrats only know how as stated by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Give it Away, Give it Away, Give it Away Now!.
Education is the key to economic equality. Provide a quality education to children and hopefully they will succeed. the teachers unions deprive most children of color and those who attend poor performing public schools the chance to succeed. They are more concerned with the members who should be canned instead of put in Rubber Rooms and their ability to collect dues.
As for the affluent states being all democrat controlled, look at the fiscal stability of the 50 states and the top states are Alaska, North Dakota,, South Dakota, Nebraska and Florida, all red states. The 6 states about to financially default are all Democrat controlled. They are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusettes and Illinois at the bottom. These are all blue states and states that give everything away. I worked with plenty of people of color who had their girlfriends on welfare, living in the projects and on food stamps while they worked at city jobs and had their mail delivered to their parents home. The taxpayers be dammed. When it comes time to claim the children for tax purposes they each claim a few so they can each be head of household and both get the Earned Income Tax Credit or should I say the unearned income tax credit since you should have to work and pay taxes before you can get anything but not according to the democrats..
We have a city councilman who was elected by the Non-working families party since members of this party don’t work. They live off the dole and if they do work it is for cash so they don’t have to pay taxes. And they get Obama phones, they get medicaid and any other free thing that the democrats can give them to insure they stay dependent and will vote for them. Why not if they continue to take from hard working individuals and give everything to people who deserve nothing. The only things the Constitution states we are entitled to are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Not Welfare, food stamps, Section 8 vouchers, medicaid, obama phones and any other entitlement the democrats decide to give to the leeches. . The only thing you never hear about are the people like me who lost their health care because or the as you call it the affordable care act. There were 7 million of us. You never hear that on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC or ABC. The only place you hear the truth is on Fox News. They really are fare and balanced. Why werent we given any consideration. Also, if this act is so good why didn’t the totally Democrat controlled congress and the democrat president at that time, subject themselves to this act? Why are so many other favored groups of the Democrats exempt? Nancy Pelosi the idiot in charge of the house stated that they had to pass the bill to know what was in it. Would you buy a car without knowing if it had a engine under the hood?
You always hear about Donald Trump and is evil supporters but you never hear about all of the illegal things Hillary Clinton has been involved with. From her days in Arkansas she was the only person to make money in a cattle futures venture when 100 people invested and everyone lost except her. She told the broker she was working with that she wanted money and he better make her some. She got $100,000.00 and every other investor got screwed. What about the Rose Law Firm billing records which she couldn’t find then all of the sudden they turn up on an end table in the white house. I guess Donald Trump broke in one night and put them there. How about Whitewater? How do two people get paid $20,000,000.00 for their memoirs and then testify under oath when asked questions about their business and political dealings they couldn’t remember 152 times. Those must have been real small books or works of fiction.
How can anyone believe Hillary about what really happened at Bengazi? Only three people can give a stand down order, the president of the United States, The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of State. Guess who that was. The liberal press makes a national issue about a Governer closing a lane of traffic on the George Washing Bridge and Hillary kills four people at a United States Embassy and you hear nothing about it. It seems that when she appeared at the FBI hearing dealing with this matter she had the answers to the questions before they were asked. Also let’s ask why Obama wasn’t prosecuted for using the IRS to target Conservative Groups and What about Fast and Furious? What about the real facts of what took place in Ferguson Missouri? Why didn’t Obama or the biggest racist of them all Eric Holder apoligize to the American public for the mis-statenebts and untruths that were said about the incident between the altar boy Michael Brown all 6′ 4″ and 290 lbs of him and officer Darryl Wilson. I guess if he had gotten the gun away from the officer and put a round in his head it would have been ok since the officer was a racist and abusing his power by trying to defend himself from an attack that would have led to his death. I guess it’s ok to kill an officer since he didn’t understand Michael Brown. Spare me the bull. It’s time for the democrats to realize that giving other peoples money away to people who don’t deserve it will get them kicked out of office.
When will the bleeding heart Liberals realize you can’t keep gibing everything away. Someone has to provide it. If you want a great book about progressives you should real Stealing America by D’nesh DeSouza. It really makes you think. Remember Obama more than doubled the entire deficiet in his 2 terms in office. It took many presidents to accumulate a debt of 8 trillion. He doubled it all by himself..It is time for the real middle class to say no more. We’ve given enough. When will the liberals and progressives give their fair share. They are the cheapest givers. They only want to give other peoples money away.