COUNTY LAOIS ASSOCIATION - NY
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Friday, March 17, 2023
Assemble: NEW TIME and PLACE ----- 12:20pm on West 45th Street.
Laois is moved up earlier in the Parade, and probably will be on TV.
We will assemble at 12:20pm on West 45th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
Please respect the Parade Committee’s dress code, which prohibits sneakers, jeans,
or inappropriate clothing and head gear.
Grand Marshal: Judy McEvoy has enthusiastically accepted our invitation to be our Grand Marshal on St. Patrick’s Day 2023. She is grateful for the honor and proud to lead the Laois Association up 5th Ave.
Judy was born in Dalkey, Dublin. Her father was from Valentia Island, Kerry. Her mother was from Donaghmore, Laois. Judy spent many school breaks on the farms of her Laois relatives. Following secondary school in Sligo, Judy worked in a bank in Dublin from 1966 to 1972, when she left to marry Laurence McEvoy of Mountmellick, Laois. Following their marriage in University Church, Dublin, Judy and Larry came to New York. Larry attended Hunter College, CUNY where he received a Master’s degree in Political Science. Then twins Rory and Cormac were born, beginning a family in New York that grew to include Shane and Hugh. Judy enjoyed being a member of the Thomas Davis Players in Manhattan, and later The Cill Cais Players in Queens. Both drama groups presented plays by Irish writers.
Judy began a career in education when she became an assistant pre-K teacher in 1989 at the Samuel Field YMHA in Little Neck, Queens. In 2003 she received a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Queens College, CUNY, followed by a Master of Science in Education in 2006. She became an elementary school teacher at P.S. 62 in Richmond Hill, Queens in 2003 and taught there until retirement in 2014.
Judy and Larry became grandparents in 2007. There are now 8 wonderful grandchildren in the family; Moira, Eamonn, Aisling, Bennett, Lochlan, Oisin, Isla, and Saoirse. During all this time Judy and Larry proudly marched with the Laois Association together with their sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and friends. Judy assisted Larry in his duties over the years as Vice President of the Laois Association. Sadly, Larry passed away in August 2021 and he is greatly missed by all his family. He also is fondly remembered and missed by the members of the Laois Association.
Delegation from County Laois: The Laois County Council are delighted and pleased to accept our invitation to join us for this year’s NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The delegation includes their Cathaoirleach (Chairperson), Ms. Thomasina Connell, and the Chief Executive’s representative, Mr. Simon Walton, Director of Services. We look forward to having them join us this year.
In the future, we prefer to communicate only using email. Please send your email address to me.
Thanks,
Mike Dunphy, President
973-886-6097
Tom Phelan: Mountmellick’s Tom Phelan is an acclaimed author who has published several books. His novels deal with such themes as Irish soldiers in World War I, the effects of ancient animosities, returned emigrants, the Irish industrial schools, the priesthood, and life in rural Irish communities. The last of these books is a 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.
Tom Phelan completed a new novel, tentatively titled Lady of Lackan, which is set against the backdrop of the Famine and a purported Marian apparition.
In December, his story “A Christmas at Sea” appeared in the Leinster Express.
On Saturday, 4 March, at 11 a.m., Tom will read from his memoir We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It: A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood at:
Huntington Genealogy Workshop
South Huntington Public Library
145 Pidgeon Hill Road,
Huntington Station, NY
In the past year, Tom spoke about We Were Rich and Didn’t Know It at Theodore’s Books in Oyster Bay and at the New Hyde Park Public Library.
2023 Scholarship Contest: The Parade Committee offers several scholarships each year. There are:
Four scholarships for a high school-level research paper, with an award of $2,000 for first place
Four scholarships for a college–level research paper, with an award of $4,000 for first place.
Details, topics, eligibility, deadlines, and forms for applicants are available on the Parade’s website at: www.nycstpatricksparade.org, click on Scholarship.
