Around the Mountain by LJ James - 3rd Annual East Durham St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Well folks… chalk up another one for the books—and make it a BIG one! The 3rd Annual East Durham St. Patrick’s Day Parade didn’t just show up… it SHOWED OFF. Bigger crowd, bigger energy, and yeah—safe to say this thing is officially on the map (and probably circled in green marker).

This year’s turnout? Massive. The word is out, the buzz is real, and East Durham NY is as always, the place to be when the Irish spirit takes over.

We had FOUR incredible Irish dance schools lighting up the street: Rince Go Brách (Albany), An Clar (Albany), Quigley Irish Dance (Cooperstown),Farrell School (East Durham)

Add in the thunder and pride of the Capital District Pipes & Drums and the Pipes & Drums of Greene County, plus a whole lineup of amazing groups… and you’ve got yourself one heck of a parade!

And yeah… plenty of familiar faces in the crowd—Chris Tague, Marc Molinaro, Mike O’Connor, Melanie Ward Wesslock, Grand Marshall Jeanne Farrell—and of course, the real MVPs… the volunteers who made it all happen!

Let’s give a LOUD thank you to the entire community—because East Durham didn’t just host this parade… it OWNED it.

From the Blackthorne Resort to Gavin’s and everywhere in between, this truly is: The 33rd county of Ireland!!!

Now let’s talk bragging rights…

Not only does the Irish Catskills know how to throw a St Patrick's Day Parade —we’ve got the WORLD’S LARGEST LEPRECHAUN marching right down our streets! Yeah… try topping that one NYC!

Earlier in the week, the weather had people a little nervous—but in true Catskills fashion, it turned out perfect. Hey… this is the Catskills. Even Mother Nature vacations here. (I’m hearing she’s been spotted "hanging out" with our very own Rip Van Winkle… just don’t quote me on that)

Now behind all this magic is a lot of hard work—but one man had the vision to bring this parade back after 30+ years… Michael O’Connor. And for that, he was honored with a proclamation from Assemblyman Chris Tague—well deserved.

So yeah… another amazing year in the books. But you know how we roll in the Irish Catskills … We’re already gearing up for NEXT year— Bigger, Better and Louder then ever, the word on the streets was, that this is the 3rd best St Patrick's Day Parade in NY State, but I am thinking after this year's parade, we just moved up a spot!!! 

Check it out: EastDurhamStPatricksDayParade.com

I’m your bro, LJ James, and I’ll see you around the Mountain!

Photos by Kim Max