Wondering why the 69th brigade always leads the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade?
Keep reading to find out….
The first gathering on St. Patrick’s Day in 1762 allowed for the Irish immigrants in New York as well as the Irish military members serving with the British forces to honor their homeland and their heritage. 4 years later in 1766, Irish soldiers serving with the British army came together to organize the first parade.
For almost 50 years military units organized and ran the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The change to non-military organization of the parade came from the aftermath of The War of 1812 which became a turning point for America. It is during this time that the United States of America separated from the British, pushed away the Indigenous Native Americans and so began an evolution of American nationalism. As American pride spread throughout the States, so did the urgency for immigrant groups and societies to secure and preserve their own national identity. From this came the presence of Irish fraternities who began arranging and organizing all aspects of the parade. Similarly, Irish immigrants would band together in their communities and eventually in their service. Starting in 1851 and still active now is the military presence in the parade honoring the 69th Regiment. As part of the national guard, this military battalion was first made up of solely Irish immigrants in the mid-1800’s. To honor the Irish immigrants serving on behalf of America, the 69th Regiment was asked to lead the annual parade…and they have every year since 1851.
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