Even though the expected strong winds and rain, people who love Irish culture gathered eagerly in Skeleton Park on Saturday afternoon to start the St. Patrick’s Day festivities with the annual parade. This tradition has become closely linked with the celebration in Kingston.
“It’s always cold, or it’s snowing, and rarely is it raining. But it brings out the best of the best,” said Tony O’Laughlin from the Kingston Irish Folk Club, emphasizing the strength of the community in the face of difficult weather conditions.
The importance of Skeleton Park, the resting place of Irish immigrants who died in Kingston during the building of the Rideau Canal in the early 1800s, adds a sad tone to the start of the parade. O’Laughlin explained, “An estimated 10,000 were buried in this area. Mostly Irish and Scottish. In the 1890s, a lot of the headstones were knocked over and it was turned into a park.”
The event’s seriousness was marked by the haunting sound of bagpipes playing versions of “Amazing Grace” as wreaths were placed at the Celtic Cross monument.
From Skeleton Park, the parade wound its way through Princess Street, finishing at City Hall, where the parade ended amongst cheers and applause.
Participation in the parade went beyond those with Irish heritage, as Jennifer Van Reenen, a recent arrival from Ireland who has lived in Kingston for about a year, confirmed,
“So it’s nice to actually have a parade where I live now, a little piece of home over in Kingston. So it’s great to be a part of the Irish Kingston Folk Club.”
Van Reenen’s feeling was shared by many attendees, who found comfort in the familiar rain, reminiscent of their homeland.
“Typical of Irish weather, it’s raining. So this is quite common for what I’m used to – so we have the rain,” she joked.
Despite the subdued atmosphere of the parade compared to the joyous celebrations expected on March 17th, the strength and togetherness shown by the participants demonstrate the lasting spirit of St. Patrick’s Day in Kingston. As the saying goes, you can’t have sunshine without the rain.
