COUNTY LAOIS ASSOCIATION - NY
Monday, March 17, 2025
ASSEMBLE MUCH EARLIER
Co. Laois has been moved up near the front of the Parade.
We should be on TV, so look your best.
Co. Laois is to assemble:
- At 10:45am
- On West 44th Street, between 50 West 44th Street and 6th Avenue.
- Dress Code: no sneakers, jeans, County jerseys, or crazy head gear.
Grand Marshal: We are delighted to announce that Matthew Journalist, a longtime supporter and friend of Co. Laois, is this year’s Grand Marshal. Matt has happily joined our contingent nearly every year since graduating from Boston College, where he was a roommate of Kevin Dunphy. Matt currently works for a French company, Credit Agricole, in New York City. He and his wife, Kelly, and their young daughters, Emma Jane and Josephine, live in Glen Rock, NJ.
The youngest of four, Matt was born in Pompton Plains, NJ, to John and Deborah Journalist. The family lived in Barrington, IL, and Avon, CT, before settling in Mashpee, MA, on Cape Cod. Matt traces his Irish roots through his mother Deborah (Carr), whose grandparents emigrated from Co. Cork in the early 1900s. Deborah’s grandmother, Anne Collins, ultimately settled in Charlestown, MA. The Journalists have been strengthening ties to their heritage with recent visits to Ireland. Deborah and her family visited the ancestral home in Dunmanway, Co. Cork, and saw family still living in the area. And this past year Matt enjoyed a golf trip to Killarney along with other friends who also regularly march with Laois in the Parade. Matt hopes to bring Kelly, Emma Jane, and Josephine to visit more of the country, including Co. Laois.
Matt says his participation in the Parade and getting to know members of the Laois Association have brought him a greater attachment to his Irish heritage. He said it has been a joy to share that experience with his wife and daughters as well as with his mother over the years. He said, “The Parade is a wonderful tradition from which I have had the good fortune to meet several extremely kind people with admirable pride in where they come from. It is truly an honor to be asked to act as Grand Marshal for Laois. A heartfelt thank you for welcoming me and my family year in and year out. Up Laois!”
Delegation from County Laois: The Laois County Council are delighted to accept our invitation to join us for this year’s NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The delegation will be represented by the Cathaoirleach (Chairman) Mr. Padraig Fleming and Chief Executive, Mr. Michael Rainey. We look forward to having them join us this year. We also have a Laois Choir visiting this year. See the next page for details.
Special Visitors from Laois
In addition to the Laois County Council visitors, the 40-member Timahoe Male Choir will be traveling to New York City and joining us for the Parade. They were formed a few years ago and have become very popular. The Choir has appeared on TV shows such as RTE TV and on Ear to the Ground. They also participated in the Electric Picnic Show. The online Laois Today featured this group in their news stories.
The Choir’s NYC Performances: Please support the Timahoe Male Choir at their appearances in New York City:
On Saturday March 15th at 6:00pm at the American Irish Historical Society,
991 Fifth Avenue (between 80th and 81st Streets.
Later that evening at the Beer Authority, 300 West 40th Street.
On Sunday March 16th, maybe at Haswell Green’s, 240 West 52nd Street.
On Monday after the Parade at the American Irish Historical Society.
Tom Phelan: A native of Mountmellick and a prolific author, Tom Phelan will be speaking at the Irish Cultural Society about his acclaimed memoir of growing up on a small farm in Laois, We Were Rich and We Didn’t Know It: A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood.
His talk is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, 11 September, at 7 p.m. at the Garden City Casino, 51 Cathedral Ave., Garden City, NY.
Please see www.irish-society.org to confirm the date, or email glanvil3@aol.com.
2025 Scholarship Contest: The Parade Committee offers several scholarships each year as follows:
Four scholarships for a high school-level research paper, with awards of: $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, and $750.
Four scholarships for a college-level research paper, with awards of: $4,000, $3,000, $2,000, and $1,500.
The 2025 topics are not yet on the website. Please check the website periodically to see if the application and topics have been posted.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade’s website is:
www.nycstpatricksparade.org. Click on the Scholarship tab.
Sláinte,
Mike Dunphy
President
973-886-6097
