Rain Stops Parade, But Not Spirit Of St. Patrick’s Day

Although the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade that runs along New Falls Road was cancelled this year, many still assembled for the traditional mass and the Hoolie on Saturday.

The mass began at 8 a.m. at St. Joseph’s the Worker on New Falls Road. The mass proceeded like a regular mass, but there was a procession of members from the Bucks County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, as well as previous parade grand marshalls were present.

The parade had to be cancelled because of rain that was in the area on Saturday morning. Connor Galloway, the president of the Bucks County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, was present at the mass and explained why there could not be a rain date. “[There is] a lot of planning and donated time that goes into it. It’s just too hard to have a rain date,” explained Galloway.

Galloway continued to explain that many of the marchers were coming from far away, or otherwise had other parades to march in, making a reasonable rain date impossible.

The 2015 Grand Marshall, Joe Hogan, spoke during the mass. “It’s truly an honor to represent all those who served, police officers, firefighters,” explained Hogan.

The Committee held its Hoolie at noon on Trenton Road. According to Galloway, the Hoolie is a party and celebration of the Grand Marshal and everything else that the community could not celebrate by marching the parade.

Hogan will march alongside the Grand Marshall during next year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.