2005: ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONS OF ERIN

2005: VINCE MCKELVY: IRISHMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE

How time flies! I posted this excellent photo of my friend Vince McKelvy SEVEN YEARS AGO! And don't 'ya know, I remember taking the time to "Photoshop" that photo that I took in front of St. Anthony Church and embellishing it with the appropriate shamrocks and greenery. Vince is the president and one of the more prominent members of Division 1 Ancient Order of Hibernians whose headquarters are on Kuser Road in Hamilton. For years, he has been the emcee and announcer of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. The popular son of Erin is a fierce defender of the Irish heritage.

2005: VINCE MCKELVY: IRISHMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE

Vince is one of the more prominent members of Division 1 Ancient Order of Hibernians whose headquarters are on Kuser Road in Hamilton. For years, he has been the emcee and announcer of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. The popular son of Erin is a fierce defender of the Irish heritage.

2011: COMING SOON TO A TOWN NEAR YOU: ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE

In only a few weeks,we will be joining in on that annual "wearin' o' the green" St. Patrick's Day Celebration. This year, as last there will be a Hamilton parade, and the traditional Trenton parade. Above is a photo of "Irish Billy Briggs" who passed away much to early in life. In years past, I still see him proudly singing the Irish National Anthem in front of St. Anthony of Padua Church on Hamilton Avenue in Hamilton Township. The Glover connection to Irish heritage is an interesting situation. My father was born in Longton, Stoke on Trent in England. My wife's Irish family heritage is Kelly green Irish, with Belfast being her grandmother's birthplace. When my father was alive, the subject of the British involvement was always discussed on St. Patrick's Day. My father was a hopeless left wing liberal. Whenever the subject of St. Patrick's Day came up, I can still hear the old man opining that the Brits "should get the hell out of Ireland."

2010: FAITH AND BEGORRA! IT'S ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

1884: IRELAND: A LOOK AT POVERTY AND SUPPRESSION

I am reminded of how my father, a native of Stoke-on-Trent in England felt about the British injustices in Ireland. His and his family's social situation was in many ways equal; at least in the sense of knowing poverty and class distinctions. My grandfather and great grandfather were brought up in orphanages, and ultimately worked as coal miners. On those rare occasions when we would discuss his past, Pop Glover compared his grandparents life with that of the suppressed people of Ireland: sheer and hopeless poverty. Nowhere in the world was the phrase "the 'haves' and the 'have nots' " more relevant than in the British Isles.

2010: HAMILTON'S IRISH FLAG RAISING CEREMONY

Here we see Hamilton's own Mayor John Bencivengo with lovely Miss St. Patrick 2010, Brittany Patten raising the Irish flag over at the Hamilton Municipal building on Greenwood Avenue. Thanks to Councilman Kevin Meara who kick-started this now annual affair. The ceremony was incredibly interesting. It was especially nice to see Deacon Bill Wilson again after so many years.

1869: ST. PATRICK'S DAY 1869 IN TRENTON

As you can see by the two articles which appeared in the Daily State Gazette, very little attention was paid to St. Patrick's Day in the middle of the 19th century. Many of our Irish immigrants came to Trenton from Ireland during the potato famine in Ireland. Still others came here to work in the steel plant and the John A. Roebling plant.

1922: Ireland's "Bartered Weddings" Custom

With St. Patrick's Day still in the news, it was appropriate that I found this interesting article on the ancient custom of "Bartered Weddings" as practiced in Ireland.

1908: ST. PATRICK'S DAY 100 YEARS AGO

AS YOU CAN SEE AS YOU READ THE ACCOMPANYING
"GAZETTE" ARTICLE, ST. PATRICK'S DAY WAS MUCH THE SAME AS IT IS HERE IN THE 21ST CENTURY....PERHAPS IT WAS A BIT MORE SPIRITUAL OR RELIGIOUS IN NATURE, BUT THE PARADE WAS STILL THERE!

St. Patrick's Day is Coming

The graphic accompanying this post is from one of my columns in the Trenton Times from the 1980's when I was writing "A Look Back" for the weekly "People" section. I'm wondering if the Frank J. Clark ad for green carnations is an early version of "Clark the Florist."