West End Irish Take Back Their Parade

A group of Irish West End residents is planning to march from St. Dominic’s Church to Harbor View Park on St. Patrick’s Day, after they were told that parade organizers were “too overwhelmed” to organize the traditional West End event. The Maine Irish Heritage Center and the Irish American Club of Maine is planning to hold a parade down Commercial Street to the East End.

Robert O’Brien, Vice President of the Irish American Club, said that the group would organize the procession - after learning that it was going to take place anyway. O’Brien, who was recently elected to represent the West End on the Portland School Committee, and who previously served as President of the West End Neighborhood Association, was the parade organizer last year – the first year that it was not held in the West End.