A bishop, a firefighter and a salesman are among the Irish-Americans who will help the Grand Marshal with his duties during the St Patrick's Day Parade in New York this year.
The 14 people who will serve as Aides to Grand Marshal Kevin J. Conway for the 2023 parade were unveiled by the St Patrick’s Day Parade Board of Directors and the Parade Affiliate Organisations.
The aides will assist Grand Marshal Kevin J. Conway, a New Yorker with Irish heritage, on March 17.
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The aides are:
- Grand Council of United Emerald Societies Aide: Patrick J. Lynch
- Queens County Aide: Mark Edwards
- New York County Aide: Sean Claffey
- Knights of St Patrick Aide: John Doolan
- Suffolk County Aide: Agnes O’Leary
- Nassau County Aide: John R. O’Brien
- Bronx County Aide: Jack (John) McCarrick
- Richmond County Aide: Michael J. Mc Keever
- Westchester County Aide: Peter G. Van Slyck
- United Irish Counties Aide: Rita Lydon Lenz
- Aide At Large: Joe Brady
- Orange County Aide: Mary Sexton Wingenter
- Kings County Aide: Robert John Emmett Murphy
- FDNY AIDE: Deputy Chief Paul Mannix
- Rockland County Aide: Dennis Toal
- Archdiocese of New York Aide: Bishop Edmund Whalen
Aides to the Grand Marshal are chosen annually by the Parade’s participating organisations in recognition of their outstanding service to the Irish-American Community of New York.
Parade Chairman Sean Lane said: "The selection of an aide is acknowledgement of years of unselfish, dedicated and distinguished service to the New York and Irish communities and for their contribution to Irish faith, culture and heritage.
"The Board of Directors thanks the affiliate organizations for selecting dedicated and distinguished group of dedicated Irish Americans.
"They will join our Grand Marshal, Kevin J. Conway, in leading us past St. Patrick’s Cathedral and up Fifth Avenue on Friday, March 17, 2023.”
Founding chairman Hilary Beirne added: "This year we have a bishop, the leader of the NYPD's Police Benevolent Association Union, the Nation Vice-President of sales at Heineken, USA, the New York State President of the LAOH, a Deputy Chief from the Fire Department of New York, a person who has worked with world renowned TV & movie producers and the person who has led the 69th Regiment for the past 33 years as the regimental pipe Major.
"An unbelievable selection of spectacular Irish Americans."
Kevin J. Conway was announced as the Grand Marshal last month. He is a New Yorker residing on Long Island with his wife Denise and their children.
He has traced his roots to Leitrim, Cork, Meath and Limerick.
Mr Conway works as the vice chairman of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC a global private equity firm.
Mr Conway and his Aides will lead the approximate 200,000 marchers up Fifth Avenue in the 262nd New York City’s St Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17, 2023.
The New York City St Patrick’s Parade marched for the first time in 1762 - 14 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
The Parade is regarded as the most popular parade in the US. It consists only of marchers and each year hosts some 250,000 marchers and two million spectators.
The occasion is televised live to millions of households nationwide for four hours by host station WNBC Channel Four. The broadcast is webcast live at NYCStPatricksParade.Org and WNBC Channel Four web site at www.wnbc.com.
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