nothin Pipers & Griffins, Politicians & Patriots On… | New Haven Independent

Pipers & Griffins, Politicians & Patriots On Parade

Allan Appel Photo

Police officer Michael Hurley has so much reverence for the flag he saluted it 20 times, at least.

He had the perfect patriotic perch to do so from the corner of Church and Chapel, where he helped to direct traffic Sunday at the flags-flying-high 58th annual Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The green event drew 3,100 marchers from as far away as Rhode Island, comprising about 146 separate units, tens of thousands of spectators, and an unverifiable number of leprechauns, griffins, horses, and other animals, mythical and real .

In a slight change of route this year due to construction around St. Raphael’s Hospital, the marchers assembled near Sherman and Edgewood. They joined Chapel at Howe Street, where they continued on the usual route: After giving a star turn to the cameras of Fox News, which was covering the event live, they turned at Church — where Hurley saluted each and every unit’s American flag from the impressively piping police and fire department musicians to the littler performers from the King/Robinson School.

From there, the units did one last performance hailing the politicians, the dignitaries, and the parade royalty in the reviewing stand in front of city hall, before finishing up on Grove Street.

The parade is under the sponsorship of the Associated Irish Societies, Inc., which is comprised of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Knights of St. Patrick, the New Haven Football and Hurling Club, and the West Haven Irish-American Club.

This year’s grand marshal, Timothy Gallogly, pronounced the parade great” and more family-friendly than ever. That results in part from a continuing vigorous emphasis on no public drinking, and a new military non-fire” order put in place for the first time by the parade committee.

Michael Warner, who is preparing to be a cop in Baltimore, came down from Hartford with daughter Michelle

That meant that the thrilling volleys of old muskets and even cannon were verboten on the last leg of the parade from Chapel to Grove on Church.

An Irish Gateway to Spring

Last year, some families had complained that the ear-splitting gunfire had scared some of the growing number of little kids attending, he said.

Gallogly with the Queen Aly Wheway and her attendant Morgan Hildebrandt.

Gallogly, whose dad helped to reestablish the modern parade in 1956 after a long hiatus after 1914 due to the world wars, said he thought the temperature even warmer than anticipated, a typical end of winter Irish parade. We call our parade the gateway to spring.”

The parade’s first units reached the sidewalks densely packed with spectators at Chapel and Temple around 2:15 p.m.

Waiting for them were unofficial winners of what we’ll call the Green Head Irish-Hair-For-The-Day Award: Annie Fierro, Patty Munguia, and Edward Pezzo, a Mexican-born family from Howard Avenue in the Hill. They never miss a parade, if they can help it.

I like the style, the people, the happiness, the sharing. We all feel a little Irish today,” said Pezzo, a student at Gateway Community College.

An interpreter for the griffin said he paid twelve hundred dollars for the outfit.

As the arrow-formation of police officers on motorcycles arrived, signalling the arrival of the first units, Pezzo did admit that he missed last year’s parade, the only time in ten years. I was so drunk the day before, I didn’t make it. I wanted to be here, so I didn’t drink [last night]. I’m the designated driver, for now,” he said.

The state’s largest parade always draws a large contingent of politicians, of course.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wore the sash and tails proudly. He was preceded by Mayor Toni Harp, also wearing the sash. Then U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal high-stepped their way down Chapel Street.

Not long after the politicians passed came the saints.

Well, one saint in particular: He who Christianized Ireland was now waving to kids and posing for photos.

St. Patrick slowed, as did all the other paraders, as they made the curving turn at Church from Chapel. Here in this intersection they all walked over the three-leafed shamrock, done in a three-foot-by-three foot green pastel crayon on the street asphalt.

Legend has it that St. Patrick used the three-leaved shamrockto teach the Irish about the trinity. 

I’m sure it was only a coincidence without significance that immediately following St. Patrick came the Wells Fargo Bank stage coach, with its noble horses clattering the pavement and echoing the sounds that might have filled these city blocks when the original parade debuted in 1842.

Not That SUV

As always, the parade featured fire and police department marching units from around the area, 16 other fife and drum bands, 18 pipe and drum bands, and six drum and bugle groups, said Gallogly.

This year, for the first time, a memorial vehicle was included in order to honor the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook,” he added.

The parade of course included high school bands, and a few from the elementary schools in town as well, such as the high-stepping kids from King/Robinson Inter-district Magnet School.

Towards the end of the parade came an SUV, but not the sports utility vehicle.

Sons of Union Veterans,” said Barbara Connery (pictured), who, in hoop skirt and bonnet, led the group of Civil War uniformed marchers from the Russell Wooster SUV, from Shelton.

As the parade wound down, Officer Hurley was asked how many times he had saluted. He estimated at least 20 times. He was prepared to salute more, each time a flag came by.

My hockey coach [at West Haven Notre Dame High School] said, You are not to leave the blue line until the last note of the national anthem.’”

Hurley said expressing his patriotism with the salute started at that time. I don’t mind it. I’ll always salute my flag.” With soldiers fighting abroad, he said, that’s the very least I can do.”

There’s more.

Officer Hurley said he’s the third city police officer in the family. His father Fred Hurley and two uncles Bill and Joe have among them 87 years of service in uniform.

With Michael Hurley’s one year, the family has 88, and counting.

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