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The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club
The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Committee was organized in the Irish Channel in 1947. The current president of the organization is Richard (Dick) Burke, Jr. (son and nephew of two of the organizers; Dick and Paul Burke).
Despite the years of decline and change in the “Channel,” the organization has survived and this year, plans to parade with the largest membership ever (fourteen hundred plus). The organization credits its survival to their deep, strong roots. While the top root is Irish Heritage, many of it’s members feel an even stronger bond, just being from or associated with, the Irish Channel.
Most people are aware of the pre-parade mass, followed by the parade up Magazine Street with hundreds of men in formal attire.
This year the parade will be held on March 15, 2025, the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day.
In recent years, the organization’s activities have greatly expanded to include supporting such fund-raisers as Special Olympics; the Chrones Benefit Golf Tournament for Chrones Research; The Chefs’ Charity of St. Michael’s Special School; distribution of Thanksgiving food baskets and active support of The Friends of St. Alphonsus; a dedicated group that has transformed the former church into a vital cultural center while in the progress of restoring the art, stained glass windows and physical premises to its original magnificence.
Since 1978 the members have worn with great pride, commemorative medallions honoring Father Seelos, St. Alphonsus Church, St. Patrick’s Church and St. Michael’s Special School, and the Irish Harp.
Photo Gallery
County Down (historically “Downe”), Northern Ireland
County Down (Irish: Contae an Dúin, meaning “fort”), nicknamed the Mourne County, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland in the province of Ulster. It covers roughly 2,489 km² (961 sq mi) and had a population of about 553,000 in the 2021 census, making it one of the more populous counties on the island.
Geography and climate Located in southeastern Northern Ireland, Down borders County Antrim to the north, County Armagh to the west, the Irish Sea to the east, and Carlingford Lough (and County Louth) to the southwest. It features the dramatic granite Mourne Mountains—where “the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea”—with Slieve Donard (850 m / 2,790 ft) the highest peak in Northern Ireland. Other highlights include Strangford Lough (the largest sea inlet in the British Isles), the Ards Peninsula, and the easternmost point of Ireland at Burr Point. The climate is temperate oceanic: mild winters, cool summers, and regular rainfall moderated by the sea.
History The area was central to the ancient kingdom of Ulaid. Downpatrick (the county town) has deep links to St Patrick, who is traditionally said to be buried at Down Cathedral. Normans under John de Courcy invaded in 1177; later Scottish and English settlement during the Plantation of Ulster shaped its mixed Protestant and Catholic heritage. It remained part of the United Kingdom after partition in 1921.
