SAINT PATRICK' DAY PARADE

As a young boy I looked forward to March 17^th because that was the day the Parade came through the streets of South Boston. We knew it as the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade but later in school we were told the real reason for the celebration was the Evacuation of the British from Boston after several years of occupation. It really didn’t matter. What was important was there was a Parade and occurred right here in Southie. In the morning you could go to the local school and get a free Hoodsie ice cream. Then you had to know where to go to hear the bands play. In those days the route was different than today. It started at Andrew Square and ended at Broadway Station. So for us we had to go down from West Fifth St. closer to the Cemetery on Dorchester St. There the bands were sure to play. My favorite then as now were the “Bag Pipes” The precision marching and the idyllic music that reached my ears was like a song from heaven. The parade lasted longer than today and I never left until it was over. Years later when I was in the Army Reserves I had the privilege of marching in it myself