There has been a continued Irish presence in Montréal since the time of the earliest European settlements in the 17th century. A large number of Irish people arrived in the 19th century, particularly in the wake of the Great Famine of 1845-47. As a growing ethnic community, the Irish created their own social and cultural institutions, including a St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the organizers to cancel the parade in 2020 and 2021, it had taken place every year since 1824. There was a scaled-down parade with no floats in 2022. This year’s full-scale parade was anticipated with great excitement because of the 3-year hiatus.
The 198th Montréal St-Patrick’s Parade processed along Ste-Catherine Street on March 19th. As expected, it was a cheerful and very well attended event, despite the very cold and windy weather (-10° C with the wind chill). It was so cold that it caused the battery in our video camera to deplete rapidly. Despite that, we managed to capture the essence of the event.
Continue reading “Montréal Irish”