Atlanta family has been parading for St. Patrick’s for 55 years

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

“We always laugh, because when we pull it up to the curb, it’s the ugliest thing in the world. And then, gradually, over the course of the next couple of hours, we get everything together, all the balloons and everything else,” said Mike, an entrepreneur and Atlanta native.

Some clans have coming-of-age Bat Mitzvahs or Quinceañeras, but for the Riordans, graduating from riding to walking beside the float is their rite of passage. It also allows for direct contact with the parade crowd and handing out candy and multicolored beads to more than 15,000 paradegoers.

“I’ve worn through several pair of boots just walking the route,” he said. “You just get this huge adrenaline rush, you know, when you show up every year, whether rain or shine.”

Mike has been participating in the parade since 1973 when he was, in the vernacular, wee. He has 30 members in his immediate family who take part in the parade, along with friends and pretty much anyone who asks him if they can join in the fun.

His parents John and Sue Riordan first entered the parade to promote John’s business, following in the footsteps of Mike’s grandfather William Joseph Riordan.

The Riordan family is one of the oldest Irish families in Atlanta, according to Mike, and all five of his siblings have walked the parade “since we were literally either babies or almost born. It’s been a commitment for us for a long time.”

This year, the parading Riordans will range in age from 3 to 74.

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Staged since 1858, Atlanta claims one of the oldest St. Patrick’s parades in the country the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day. A sea of green crawls 1.2 miles from the Woodruff Arts Center and heads 10 blocks down Peachtree Street to 5th Street, with an after-party at Fadó Irish Pub — Midtown.

The parade is the signature St. Patrick’s event in Atlanta, a holiday named for the patron saint of Ireland who converted the Irish to Christianity and used the clover to illustrate the Holy Trinity. The phenomenon of the St. Patrick’s parade originates in the 19th century as a gesture of goodwill, solidarity and resilience, to counteract discrimination against Irish immigrants.

Like immigrants from Latin America today, the Irish were once a targeted immigrant group in America. Driven out of Ireland across the generations by dire economic conditions and religious persecution, record numbers arrived in America during the Great Famine of 1845-1852, which decimated crops and led to the death of an estimated 1 million from starvation and disease. In America, anti-Irish sentiment blamed immigrants for taking jobs, straining public resources and for their religious beliefs.

For Mike, the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade is a testament to the many immigrant cultures in the city that intersect and celebrate on that day. His own immigrant relatives arrived in America via Ellis Island. And though his family has been in Atlanta for six generations, he still identifies as an immigrant.

“I mean, we are a nation of immigrants, right?”

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Walking the parade, said Mike, gives him a feeling of sharing in a spirit of community and connecting with more recent arrivals to America standing along the parade route.

“It’s just such an inclusive moment,” said Mike. “It’s all walks of life, it’s all people, it’s all diverse and, again, keeping that immigrant spirit alive. I think it’s very important.”

Said Jessica Thompson, who grew up in Northern Ireland and is the co-founder and co-chair of the Irish Network Atlanta, which presents the event, “The parade is a reminder that there was a time when the Irish weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms in America. They faced prejudice and real hardship. Fast forward to today, and Irish heritage is simply part of the American story. It is woven into our cities, our politics, our neighborhoods and our culture.

“This parade honors that path,” Thompson said, “not just for the Irish but for all immigrant communities shaping this country.”

The Irish care about the positive representation, too. This year’s just-announced parade grand marshal will be Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s minister of culture, communications and sport, traveling from Limerick, Ireland.

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Credit: (Courtesy of the O'Riordan family)

Thompson said she’ll be spending the morning of the parade watching Six Nations rugby.

“This year Ireland plays Scotland and, with the time difference, the match begins early in the morning! It’s a nice way to kick off the day,” Thompson said. “Hopefully with a win!”

For Thompson, the parade is a chance to revel in the positive attributes of being Irish and their resilience in Ireland and America.

“The work ethic and perseverance of the Irish makes me proud to be Irish,” she said.

The Riordans arrived at Ellis Island six generations ago, but the parade is a reminder to Mike, of Atlanta as the arrival point for newer generations of immigrants.

“As you’re driving the streets and you’re handing out candy, you are seeing people who have not been here for near as long, but they’re part of the fabric of society. And for them to come out there and get a warm welcome, beads or a ‘Happy Saint Patrick’s Day,’ I think it goes hand-in-hand with what the spirit of the parade is about — the spirit of your Irish heritage, as well as the spirit of the city of Atlanta.”

IF YOU GO

“Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade”

Noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Free. Arrive by 11 a.m. Starts at the intersection of Peachtree and 15th streets in Midtown Atlanta, near Colony Square. The procession moves south along Peachtree to 5th Street with post-parade events at Colony Square’s Luck of the Square, Fadó Irish Pub — Midtown and Midtown Alliance’s Shamrock Stroll. More on the parade: atlantastpats.com.