Montrealers of Irish descent donned their best outfits and coloured this gray Friday day green.
The annual St Patrick’s Society Luncheon is finally back in full swing after the COVID-19 pandemic paused the party.
It’s a prelude to Sunday’s big parade.
“We’re back and we’re back to stay,” exclaimed Tim Furlong, the Grand Marshall of the 198th parade.
Furlong says some of his best childhood memories involve his father walking the parade and he’d be proud to see him become Grand Marshall.
“I know he’s looking down on me. He’s proud,” Furlong said with emotion.
The luncheon kicked off a weekend of celebrations of all things Irish.
It’s also an opportunity to mark the community’s centuries-old history in the city.
“At the political class, we’ve had people of Irish descent or birth leading this place,” said Ken Quinn, the immediate past president of the Irish Societies of Montreal.
So far, six Montreal mayors have been of Irish descent, from William Workman who came to power in 1868 to most recently, Denis Coderre, who became mayor in 2013.
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In the world of music, Mary Travers, also known as “La Bolduc”, perfectly married the Irish tunes she learned from her father to her French, folky rhymes.
“She’s a Québécoise, she’s of Irish descent,” Furlong explained. “The music is very similar, so naturally the Irish people and the French Canadians gravitated towards each other.”
Irish Montrealers have also made their mark in professional sports.
Guest speaker P.J Stock is one of them. He cracked up guests with stories of his life as a hockey player.
The event also raised money for different non-profits under the St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal umbrella — this year, in a very unusual way.
Verdun city councillor Sterling Downey, known for his trademark long beard, offered to chop off an inch for every thousand dollars raised.
Downey’s stunt raised $5,000.
“It’s just my humble way of trying to contribute and give back, show some leadership and show people raising money can be fun. The first three letters in fundraising are F-U-N. I wanted to bring some fun to the fundraising,” Downing said.
The councillor says he will continue the fundraiser online.
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