Thousands of green clad residents of Irish ancestry and those Irish in spirit for a day converged on the annual “Old Neighborhood” St. Patrick’s Day parade Saturday afternoon in the city’s Old First Ward.
The parade, which is said to retrace a more than century-old parade route “through the historic streets of the Valley and Old First Ward neighborhoods,” featured dozens of home-made floats emblazoned with proud themes of Ireland as well as Irish music, marching bagpipe corps and Irish dancers.
“This is the real one, as far as I’m concerned,” said Mary Jane Kavany, 76, a West Seneca resident who grew up in the First Ward, just a block away from where she watched Saturday’s parade.
Kavany was a spectator Saturday. She’ll march in Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade down Delaware Avenue as a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the local Irish Club.
Sunday’s parade downtown begins in Niagara Square at 2 p.m.
email: tjpignataro@buffnews.com
The parade, which is said to retrace a more than century-old parade route “through the historic streets of the Valley and Old First Ward neighborhoods,” featured dozens of home-made floats emblazoned with proud themes of Ireland as well as Irish music, marching bagpipe corps and Irish dancers.
“This is the real one, as far as I’m concerned,” said Mary Jane Kavany, 76, a West Seneca resident who grew up in the First Ward, just a block away from where she watched Saturday’s parade.
Kavany was a spectator Saturday. She’ll march in Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade down Delaware Avenue as a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the local Irish Club.
Sunday’s parade downtown begins in Niagara Square at 2 p.m.
email: tjpignataro@buffnews.com