Every year of my childhood, the butterflies in my stomach would wake me before sunrise on the big day: a whole day of celebration, family, food, fun, and music to break up the bleakness of the New England winter.

First to Mass, then to my grandfather’s house, where aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as friends and neighbors, would call for a bite from the groaning board and a “wee drop.” Then on to the main event before heading to “the club” for dancing, singing, and eventually falling asleep on the way home. It was the day of the New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and it was the best day of the year.

“The club,” as it was and is known in my family, refers to the New Haven Gaelic Football and Hurling Club & Irish American Community Center in East Haven. Founded in 1948, it quickly became home away from home for the area’s Irish immigrant population. Indeed my own grandparents met through the club after coming to New Haven from Counties Kilkenny and Cork in the late 1950s.

As March 17 often falls on a weekday, parade day—Sunday, March 12 this year—was the time to celebrate and share our culture with the entire Greater New Haven community. I’ve always been aware of the stereotypes surrounding St. Patrick’s Day—public drunkenness, green beer, plastic hats—but this was never the reality of the day for the Irish American community I knew.

This year’s parade in New Haven will take place on Sunday, March 12, stepping off at 1:30 p.m.Find out more about the parade at stpatricksdayparade.org/parade-day.

More Than Shamrocks, Shine, And Sashes

My memories of the parade are all sensory. Sitting on the cold curb of Church Street under a blanket, sandwiched between warm cousins on either side. The roar of the Mariner’s cannon as they passed. The way I felt the music of the pipes and drums all through my body. The glinting crown of that year’s Parade Queen as she waved to her admirers. The pride of knowing that this beauty was my heritage and the joy of sharing it with thousands of people all at once.

The first New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in 1842, making it the sixth oldest in the United States. The modern-day parade draws 175,000 to 300,000 attendees and is the largest single-day spectator event in Connecticut. It is sponsored by four Associated Irish Societies (New Haven Gaelic Football & Hurling Club, The Knights of St. Patrick, The Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the West Haven Irish American Club), and a committee of around 60 volunteers from these societies works year-round to make the parade happen.

As I grew older, I learned that every position of honor in the parade is a working position. The grand marshal who leads the procession in their morning suit and top hat? He or she has overseen every aspect of planning in various chairships and remains responsible for approving parade orders, fundraising, and media engagements. It is an honor, which is the culmination of decades of service, and many past grand marshals continue to participate in fundraising and other aspects of planning.

2023 Grand Marshal Joanne Conlan and her husband Glenn began their work on the parade in 2004 when their daughter Moriah was crowned parade queen. She says of her tenure with the committee, “I found community here and I continue to…friendships, mentorships. The parade brings people together.”

Bernadette Canning of Branford, chairman of this year’s parade, says the roster of participants “celebrates the Irish-American experience and is also reflective of the greater New Haven community in which we live.” She went on to explain that even the opportunity to serve through the four chairs: chief of staff, secretary, chairman, and finally grand marshal, requires at least five years of work on the parade committee and the submission of a resume.

The executive committee is comprised of past grand marshals and the presidents of each of the associated Irish societies. It reviews and selects the best candidates for what will become at least a four-year commitment. This year marks the first time that all four chairs are held by women: Grand Marshal Joanne Conlan (West Haven), Chairman Bernadette Canning (Branford), Secretary Cathleen Buckheit (West Haven, 2003 Parade Queen), and Chief of Staff Fiona Stewart (West Hartford, 2013 Parade Queen)

Canning was careful to note that the New Haven parade is not a city-sponsored event, and year-round fundraising is necessary in order to cover city services, security, police overtime, street sweeping, traffic control, and countless other expenses required to legally and safely host the parade. There is now a Family Fun Zone on Elm Street during the parade with games, food trucks, crafts, and a stroller-friendly viewing area.

The parade queen and honor attendant are also more than their crowns and sashes might betray. These young women are selected from a pool of applicants from the Irish American community on criteria including community involvement, community service, and written and oral interviews. The pair are representatives of the Associated Irish Societies for a full year and have at least one or two events per month to attend, including youth workshops, media engagements, educational events, along with several balls and galas.

A Large Stage To Share Heritage

Speaking to my own experience in this role in 2005, it was an unforgettable year of meeting extraordinary people, learning history, songs, and stories, and connecting deeply to the Irish American community in which I was raised. I had seen my aunt crowned in 1987 and aspired to embody the qualities of strength and service that the role required myself someday.

Almost every other young woman I met who was competing to become queen had a similar story. We yearned for the opportunity to emulate the women who came before us and bonded in our desire to be ambassadors for our shared culture. My cousin, Tessa Mackey of Guilford, continues the cycle as this year’s honor attendant to Parade Queen Sierra O’Keefe.

The New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, for so many of us, is the largest stage upon which to share the heritage we hold so dear. This year marks the 65th year of Parade Queen selection (initially Miss Ireland and Miss Irish American,) and so many of the women who have held these titles have gone on to serve on the parade committee thereafter.

The Irish diaspora has doubtless made an impact on many areas of the world. The New Haven parade is a celebration of Irish culture, yes, but also of the greater New Haven community at large. So much of the American story is an immigrant story, and much of the Irish American experience resonates with generations who may not have Irish roots. Just as the St. Patrick’s Day parade is for everyone, the day itself is an opportunity for all to celebrate. Which brings me, of course, to food.

Breaking Bread

Irish soda bread is perhaps the best known food from the island nation. But if one wishes to delve into the world of Irish baking, the pool of breads alone is deep and varied.

Soda bread has undergone huge changes over the years. In its early forms, the bread would have been baked with local wheat flour, baking soda, and buttermilk in a dutch oven, often over an open hearth. The Irish-American version made with white flour and raisins would have been an enormous treat in days gone by—dried fruits were an expensive luxury item. Even this modern version varies greatly among families and recipes: some are chewy, some cake-like; some contain seeds and others currants; some include a generous amount of sugar and others almost none.

A daily loaf in an Irish home would have looked more like what is now known as brown bread, a hearty wholemeal loaf. Brown bread, too, has become richer with the inclusion of eggs, butter, and other additions in recent years. It is perfect for piling with smoked salmon, spreading with butter and jam, or sopping up the last bit of soup from the bowl.

A favorite addition to the breakfast board in my house is the humble potato farl. Farls are associated with Northern Ireland and are simple griddled potato pancakes. Made with mashed rather than grated potato, farls are an economical and delicious way to transform leftovers. My husband, a 5th generation New Mexican, blends our two culinary traditions by topping his farls with fried eggs, Hatch green chile, and Dublin cheddar.

If a breakfast sandwich sounds preferable to a knife-and-fork situation, the Waterford blaa is the bread for the job. The blaa is a floury yeast roll said to have been introduced to Ireland’s southeastern region by French Huguenots in the late 17th century. Waterford blaas were granted Protected Geographical Indication by the European Commission, recognizing their use of traditional skills and local knowledge specific to Waterford, Ireland. Split and filled with bacon and egg, a grilled cheeseburger, or even eggplant parmesan, blaas are a perfect canvas for a heavenly handheld meal.

Rounding out the roster of Irish breads are two of my all-time favorites, tea brack and stout and treacle bread.

Tea brack is a quicker version of traditional yeasted Barmbrack, a sweet loaf studded with dried fruit and candied peel. Barmbrack is traditionally associated with Halloween or All Soul’s Day in Ireland, where the charms baked into the loaf are thought to give clues to one’s future. This formerly once-a-year treat (see above regarding the luxury of dried fruit) is now enjoyed year-round in the form of tea brack. The dried fruits are plumped up in a mixture of dark tea and a splash of whiskey and folded into a spiced, soda-leavened quick bread batter. I adore this bread with a hot cup of tea for an afternoon snack.

I encountered stout and treacle bread for the first time while dining at Dublin’s Delahunt restaurant on a drizzly Good Friday. It was slightly sweet, studded with oats, and had an irresistible dark, malty flavor. I begged for the recipe to no avail and have been trying to recreate Delahunt’s loaf in my own kitchen ever since. The recipe here is the closest I have come thus far.

On parade day at the Club, every surface is covered in trays of Irish breads, baked in each family’s particular tradition. If you find your way to 9 Venice Place East Haven after the parade, ask the folks settled around the fireplace to tell you which are the best. Ask for a membership application while you’re at it—no Irish genes required. You can find out more about “the club” and how to join here: www.iacc-ct.com/.

Recipes

Mom’s Soda Bread

Recipe courtesy of Denise Mackey

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking soda

¼ c. each dark raisins, golden raisins, and dried currants

2 c. buttermilk

1 egg, beaten, for brushing loaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dried fruit and mix again. Add buttermilk and stir until a sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 10 times. Shape into two round loaves or one large shamrock and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush the loaves with beaten egg and cut a cross into each loaf or “leaf” of shamrock with a serrated knife.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower temperature to 375 degrees and bake another 15-20 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped with a finger.

Brown Bread

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I like Odlums extra coarse wholemeal flour)

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. wheat germ

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

¼ c. butter

2 c. milk or buttermilk

¼ c. yogurt

1 egg

1 T. honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt. With your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until butter is in pea-sized lumps.

In a separate bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, egg, and honey until combined. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Turn batter into a greased 9 inch round baking pan, mounding the batter slightly in the center. Bake approximately 50 minutes.

Potato Farls

2 c. mashed potato, made from approx. 1 lb peeled potatoes

1 T. butter

¾ t. salt

¾ c. all-purpose flour

½ t. baking powder

Cut potatoes into chunks and boil until fork-tender, roughly 10 minutes. Drain well and mash with butter and salt. (If using leftover mash potato, season to taste.)

In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add potato mixture and stir or fold to combine into a thick dough.

Turn one half of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll in a circle about 1 cm thick. Cut dough into four pieces with a cross. Repeat with second half of dough.

Heat a large dry frying pan over medium heat. Fry farls four pieces at a time for 4-5 minutes on each side, until they are cooked through. For extra crispy farls, “harn” the edges of each piece by holding them upright with tongs and searing the three narrow surfaces for a minute or two. Lean the farls up against one another harn several at a time.

Serve hot with butter or toppings of your choice. Farls reheat beautifully in a frying pan or toaster.

Waterford Blaas

Adapted from The Farmette Cookbook by Imen McDonnell

3 ½ T. active dry yeast

2 t. sugar

1 ¼ c. lukewarm water

4 c. bread flour

1 T. kosher salt

2 T. unsalted butter

Measure lukewarm water into a small bowl. (Water should be between 105-110 degrees and feel warm but not hot on your wrist.) Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the water and stir to dissolve. Allow yeast to bloom for 10 minutes- it should be fragrant and look frothy.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Cut in butter with your fingers or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix

until combined. Knead for 10 minutes on a floured board or with the hook attachment in a stand mixer. The dough will become smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes. Turn onto floured surface and punch down, pushing the air out of the dough. Cover and let dough rest 15 minutes before shaping.

Divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball and rest for 5 minutes. Roll each ball in flour and place in a 9x13 baking pan. Allow to rise in a warm place for 50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake blaas in the pan for 15-20 minutes, until just barely golden.

Stout and Treacle Loaf

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 ¾ c. old fashioned oats

1 T. baking soda

2 t. salt

1 ½ c. buttermilk

½ c. Irish stout, such as Guinness

½ c. black treacle or blackstrap molasses

2 T. honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together flours, oats, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whist together remaining ingredients.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined. Turn dough into a greased and parchment lined 9 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the dough with additional oats if desired. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Turn bread out onto a wire rack and wrap in a tea towel. (This will help the bread retain moisture.) Leave to cool completely before serving.

Tea Brack

⅓ c. candied orange peel, finely chopped

1 c. dark raisins

½ c. golden raisins

⅓ c. dried cherries

1 c. strong black tea, such as Barry’s Irish Breakfast Tea

2 T. Irish whiskey, such as Bushmills

½ c. packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

⅛ t. ground allspice

¾ t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. ground nutmeg

Place the dried fruits in a bowl and cover with tea and whiskey. Allow to soak 4-5 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and egg until light in color. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and spices until just combined. Add the soaked fruits and any remaining liquid and mix well.

Turn batter into a greased 9 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Turn bread out onto a wire rack and wrap in a tea towel. (This will help the bread retain moisture.) Cool at least 1 hour before serving.