KISS ME, I’M IRISH! Officer John Vierling proposes to girlfriend Kelly Collins. (R. Umar Abbasi)
Edward Cardinal Egan.
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN: The Irish and the Irish wannabes line Fifth Avenue yesterday for the chilly 252nd St. Patrick’s Day Parade. (
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A late winter snowstorm couldn’t wash away the green yesterday on Fifth Avenue, where the 252nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade drew nearly a million Irish — and many who were just Irish for the day.
Bagpipers, baton-twirlers, men in kilts and bearskin hats, high-school marching bands and military units led the procession from 44th to 79th streets before an estimated crowd of 2 million strong.
“It’s really not too cold. It’s beautiful . . . It’s a good time!” gushed Katie O’Keefe, 21, a Westchester resident who says she has attended every St. Pat’s Parade since she was a young girl.
The day kicked off with a church service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral attended by politicians, including Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo, and presided over by Edward Cardinal Egan, New York’s archbishop emeritus.
Then came a pair of competing political breakfasts, including one at which elected officials complained of parade organizers’ refusal to allow any displays of gay pride.
Finally it was time for the grand parade itself, led by 750 members of the New York Army National Guard. The 1st Battalion of the Guard’s 69th Infantry has been marching in the parade since 1851.
The early afternoon snowstorm couldn’t put a chill in the spirits of the joyful throngs.
“What a day — church in the morning, then drinks all afternoon,” said Raymond Kilkenny, 62, a retired auto mechanic from Long Island.
“The Irish make the best of everything, no matter what it is,” said Pauline Mulcahy, 45, of Yonkers.
Bloomberg was cheered by the crowd as he marched part of the parade twice, first with police officers and later with firefighters.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny marched much of the way just behind the mayor.
Sen. Charles Schumer, GOP mayoral candidate Joseph Lhota and Independence Party candidate Adolfo Carrion were among the politicians marching.
But many elected officials skipped the event, including Gov. Cuomo. Mayoral candidate and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn refused to march because parade organizers bar display of gay price messages.
“I think it’s very unfortunate that, after so many decades, we’re still stuck on this spot,” Quinn said at a breakfast at a TGI Friday’s in Times Square.
“In Dublin, the LGBT group marches visibly and in a terrific way,” Quinn noted.
Other Democratic mayoral hopefuls skipping the parade included former councilman Sal Albanese and city comptroller John Liu.
The parade was a big day for Kelly Collins, 26, whose boyfriend, three-year veteran police officer John Vierling, 26, proposed to her on the steps of St. Patrick’s. She said yes.
Bars and eateries along the parade route did brisk business. Fire marshals shut one spot, Johnny Utah’s on West 51st Street off Fifth Avenue, because the crowd got too big.
“We paid $20 for wristbands and we got kicked out before we could even get a drink!” said Sarah Whistler, a 22-year-old student from New City in Rockland County.
Cops reported no serious incidents amid the march.
In New Jersey, however, 16 revelers were hauled off an NJ Transit train during an unscheduled stop in East Rutherford. Two were ticketed for disorderly conduct, officials said.