Once again, the Sandicam captured our day perfectly!
“Where are you guys from?” a father supervising a group of small children feeding Samson an endless stream of carrots asked the top-hatted crew surrounding the carriage in Sunnyside.
Carriage owner Stephen Malone pointed up to the intersection of 43rd and Skillman Ave. “I’m from right there. Grew up at 4308 til we moved two blocks up the street.”
The St. Pat’s For All Parade feels like a small town parade with a big mission – to take the phrase from the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, Easter 1916, “cherishing all the children of the nation equally” and making it a reality.
2016 was a big year for St. Pat’s For All, and a big year for us.
Congratulations to parade organizer Brendan Fay, whose organization “Lavender and Green Alliance” will finally be allowed to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on March 17.
While this victory for equal rights for all closes a 17 year chapter on the era of the St. Pat’s For All Parade’s political protest, the joy that fills Skillman Avenue in celebrating everyone, Irish or wannabe, is a lasting testament to Brendan’s vision. We were honored to be a part of it for the second straight year this year, on Sunday, March 6, 2016. This year’s parade was a chance for us to celebrate our victory in the City Council in defeating Int. 573 (again). And happily we had much better weather than last year!
Parade preparations:
Going to a parade with a horse and carriage is no small task. Carriage, horse and harness have to be cleaned. All the parts and pieces have to be remembered and packed – flowers, carriage bolts, plumes, banner. And it all has to be loaded onto the truck and trailer. A big thank you to Marcy Brennan from Bronx Equestrian Center for helping us transport the star of the show, Samson, to Queens.
Getting ready for showtime also included Conor, Sean, Paul and Bernadette meeting our friends who represent Queens in government. Sean and Paul live in the neighborhood in Woodside, and in addition to our political friends to meet and greet there were many neighbors on hand to show their support.
Photo by Bernadette Kelly.
Special guest passenger: Malachy McCourt
Malachy McCourt wanted to ride in the carriage for the parade, and we were more than happy to oblige.
(A bit of carriage and Malachy trivia intersecting: Malachy McCourt used to run a bar on Third Ave, Malachy’s, where he was often joined by actor Richard Harris, who would sometimes bartend. Richard Harris, of course, was a famous carriage afficionado, too, often bringing a book or champagne or any good excuse to the Plaza for a ride in Central Park.)
Carriage community
A sign of the times
There is plenty of media coverage of the parade, and a couple of articles have pictures of Samson and the carriage. But there were no gaggles of reporters asking us about the created controversy surrounding the carriage industry, despite the Mayor being in attendance. All along the parade route we were welcomed and appreciated by our fellow New Yorkers. There were no questions, no protests against us, no petitions to bar our participation.
For once it was nice not to be newsworthy, and instead to be simply worthy …and at home.
#CarriageOn
Selfie on Skillman Ave. with Paul
So many children and adults smiled and cheered as we passed. Not a one asked where @nyclass‘s car was #Carriageon pic.twitter.com/rkkic9yJRc
— Craig Sheldon (@crgshldn) March 6, 2016
Check out more photos from the 2016 St. Pat’s For All parade from Nina Galicheva in the gallery below. Prints can be ordered from www.ninagalicheva.com.
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- Samson, the star of the parade
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- Let the parade of carrots begin
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- Conor with the shafts, hooking Samson up.
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- Stopped along the parade route
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- Samson consider’s the St. Pat’s For All Parade to be the “Carrots for Me Parade.”
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- Samson met many, many children at the parade.
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- Bernadette Kelly from the Teamsters
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- Stephen Malone and Bernadette Kelly
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- Christina Hansen
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- Christina Hansen and Bernadette Kelly
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- Clinton Park Stables manager Conor Mc Hugh gives a thumbs up
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- Christina and Conor pushing the carriage back on the trailer
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- After the parade 1
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- After the parade 2
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- Conor and Bernadette
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- Listening to the politicians on the dais, and getting a thumbs up from Tish James
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- The Kellys and Malachy McCourt
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- Malachy McCourt meeting a firefighter
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- Kids of all ages love a carriage ride.
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- “Hi, mom!”
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- Carriage supporter Craig Sheldon gives a thumbs up.
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- Jill Adamski from Save NYC Carriage Horses From Radical Animal Rights Activists and Ruth Moore from the New York State Horse Council
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- With Congressman Joe Crowley
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- Horses are cool.
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- Samson’s shadow
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- Carriage driver Mufiide is from Turkey but like everyone is Irish for St. Patrick’s Day
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- Paul and Samson
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- Paul McDaid greeting CM Costa Constantinides
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- Paul McDaid, Samson, Jill Adamski and Christina Hansen
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- On the march
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- On the march
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- Paul and Steve
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- MORE CARROTS!
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- Selfie on Skillman Ave. with Paul
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- Samson is a magnet for everyone who loves a horse
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- Ruth Moore from NYSHC doing double-duty babysitting Samson and Paul’s top hat.
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- The walk back to the trailer
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- Samson enjoying the sunshine
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- Filmmaker Sandi Bachom
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- Carriage drivers Sean Boyle, Mufiide Yildirim and Pete Fontaine with our banner
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- Shadows on the pavement
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- Stephen Malone driving
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- Four Horsepeople
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- Steve and a very small Yorkie, who has taken carriage rides in Central Park before
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- Top hats
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- Waving to the crowd
