Kingston’s Irish Folk Club celebrates St. Patrick’s Parade

St. Patrick’s Day may still be a few days away but that didn’t stop the Kingston Irish Folk Club from starting the festivities Saturday with its annual parade.

This is the first in-person parade the club has held since the pandemic was declared three years ago.

Parade participants gathered at McBurney Park before the march began down the streets of Kingston for a wreath-laying ceremony.

The park, which is also known as Skeleton Park, was once a burial ground where an estimated 10,000 Irish and Scottish immigrants still lie.

“Part of it’s to commemorate all those that are buried here and also to remind Kingston that this is one of the many areas that’s associated with the history that Kingston’s proud of,” president and founder of the Irish Folk Club Tony O’Laughlin said.

The parade and festivities afterwards held at the Tir Nan Og pub are about celebrating not only the Emerald Isle’s patron saint but also the contribution of Irish immigrants to the region.

It was predominantly Irish immigrants who formed the workforce that built the Rideau Canal.

“There were an estimated 2 to 5,000 a year, a lot of Irish labourers just off the boats were put in the Rideau Canal,” O’Laughlin said.

Irish culture was also prominent, with traditional music and many Irish dances.

“We’re also going to be demonstrating the two-hand rail, which is one of the fun dances, I think. I loved trying to learn that when I was a kid and I love teaching it, it’s a really fun dance,” Irish dancer Sabryna Wentworth said.

New to the parade this year were members of Na Fianna Katarokwi promoting Gaelic sports like hurling and Gaelic football, which are gathering growing interest in the Kingston community.

“We’ve about maybe five or six ex-pats, so people right from Ireland, the rest of the team is made up of people that are first-generation Irish or second generation and who have an interest in discovering their culture and this is one of the ways to get in touch with it,” Alan Mangan said.

Irish or not, all are welcome to this celebration and they can at least claim to be Irish for a day.

by Global News