St. Patrick's Day Parade releases festive Irish blizzard in Salt Lake City

Intermountain Catholic

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Fr. Robert Moriarty of St. Francis Xavier Parish marches with his dog Star in the St. Patrick's Day Parade March 11. Sponsored by the Utah Hibernian Society, this yearly event unites many local Irish influences. IC photos by Christopher Gray

SALT LAKE CITY — Marching with great precision and more bag pipers than anyone can bear to hear, the Utah Hibernian Society’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Siamsa brought together Irish and Irish-feeling Utahns with a whirlwind of family commemorations and traveling street parties

Formerly of Park City, Grand Marshal Betty Burt of St. Vincent Parish was proud to see the strong showing of all things Irish at the parade March 11. A member of the McPolin clan, a family with local connections dating to the end of the 19th century, Burt said, "It’s important to have the parade and come out for it, so we can show who we are and how proud we are of that."

This year’s parade was given the theme "The Long Green Line – Celebrating Irish families." Showing its color with gusto and much humor, the parade wound around the Gateway Mall in Downtown Salt Lake City. As the weather turned colder and the parade drew to a close, revelers gathered in the recently restored Union Pacific Depot for the post-parade Siamsa (pronounced shee-am-sa). Featuring music, drink, and an escape from the light snow falling on the latter portion of the parade, the entertainment continued well into the afternoon.

Though not as ridiculous as a giant pair of pants spewing bubbles (from the top) or a bawdy bunch of living beer bottles, Utah’s Catholic Schools formed a prominent portion of the parade. From columns of cheerleaders to nuns waving rulers, many minutes of the not-very-solemn procession were dedicated to various Catholic schools from the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

The parade wasn’t all about merriment, though. Much to the dismay of spectators who had staked out choice locations hours ahead of the parade, Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson doled out free parking advice as he rode by in his horse-drawn carriage. "The best place to park is on 3rd South," he shouted.