London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

On Sunday in New London, everyone was Irish

The city couldn’t hold its St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, though, the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Parade filled the void.
A procession of 60 to 70 vehicles, including Jeeps, SUVs, motorcycles, buses, Subarus, large U.S. Navy vessels and 14 Corvettes (all were part of a Corvette club), among others, with anywhere between one and 15 people per vehicle, made their way through New London Sunday in celebration of Irish heritage.

The theme of this year’s St. Patrick’s car parade - the first of its kind in New London - was “Everyone is Irish for a day.” An eclectic mix of businesses and groups were represented at the parade, such as Jammin 107.7, Jeffrey’s Barbershop and Hanrahan Painting LLC, to name a few.

Executive Director of the Downtown New London Association Barbara Neff explained how the organization, which sponsored the event, came to decide on the design for this year’s parade.

“We were ready to go until the Sunday before the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, then we said, ‘Oh what are we going to do? Well, maybe we’ll do a halfway to St. Patrick’s Day,’” Neff said. “And then we said we have to see how things are, what’s going on with the pandemic, we have to do something that’s safe.

So we held Zoom meetings, and we all agreed, and then we called the mayor and asked if it was doable, and we all said, ‘Let’s try it.’”

Neff said the Downtown New London Association is glad to have a diverse collective of people and businesses in the parade.

“We’re very happy that groups like outCT are participating because our theme is Everyone’s Irish for the one day,” Neff said. “It’s nice to get the different groups to participate. We’re just one big community here, we just want to support everybody. We’re lucky it’s a nice day out today.”

Other attendees, such as Maureen Plumleigh, also noticed the pleasant weather (it was 63 degrees and sunny in New London Sunday afternoon). She said in the nine years she’s been participating in the parade, Sunday’s version was the most temperate affair.

Plumleigh sat in a float replete with Irish flags that was supposed to be a watercraft: She is part of the New London Currach Rowers, a group that rows traditional Irish fishing boats.

This year’s parade route was longer than the usual jaunt through Bank and State streets. Organizers believe this year’s 10-mile trip allowed people to view the event safely from their homes.

The route started at Shaw's Cove and touched Bank, South Water Street, Williams Street, Broad Street, Ocean Avenue and others before ending at Shaw's Cove. Spectators were serenaded with the sounds of sirens, honking horns and bagpipes.

The parade’s grand marshal was Catherine Mary Foley. Foley is the granddaughter of Irish immigrants from the counties Galway, Roscommon and Kilkenny, a New London business owner and has led several civic organizations and initiatives.

She is the former director of the Community Development Initiative of the New London Development Corporation and former executive director of Covenant Shelter of New London and the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Connecticut, for instance.

Linda and Tom English of New London were grateful for a chance at community involvement during the pandemic. They brought their dog Heidi along for the parade, who was resplendent in a green scarf.

“We’ve lived in New London for 25 years, and this is one of the best communities around,” Linda English said. “We’re all suffering in very different ways as far as the pandemic, so I think it’s wonderful to just have some fun and show some support for our fellow neighbors.”

“We all need some joy, and we all need some relief, and this is a great way to do this,” she added.

Joe de la Cruz, D-Groton, wore a white suit jacket dotted with green shamrocks. De la Cruz is a self-proclaimed “big parade guy” and said he is “kind of known for my parade antics.” He said that with COVID-19, events like these can no longer be taken for granted.

“People need to see that people are out and doing stuff,” de la Cruz said. “It’s good to give people something to smile about, something that’s non-COVID-related. Today, we’re social distancing, but maybe we’re bringing a bit of normalcy to people sitting on their porches. I think it’s needed.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×