BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ANNUAL ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS

ALL PARADES EXCEPT THE FIRST TWO HAVE BEEN IN DOGTOWN

Please note that the data here is very preliminary. Anyone having further data, please share it with me.

Very preliminary story on March 17th St. Patrick's Day Parade of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Bob Corbett
March 15, 2000

Special thanks to Jim Mohan, public relations officer for the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who responded with great speed and generosity to my request for information. He made lots of newspaper articles and press releases available to me.

However, the interpretations I make of this history are not to be taken as the positions of Jim Mohan or The Ancient Order of Hibernians. He provided me the info and allowed me to make what sense of it I could.

The brief story:

Prior to 1984 The Ancient Order of Hibernians marched in what we now call the "downtown" parade. As most of you know that parade is always held on a week-end and not often on March 17th itself. In 1983 there were 5 local chapters of The Ancient Order of Hibernians and all had a presence in the parade. The AOH is the oldest American Irish fraternal organization and was founded in New York City in 1836.

After the 1983 parade there was a spat between the parade organizers and most of the AOH units. There was a lot of dispute as to what it was all about, but it boiled down to two main issues:

1. Some of the AOH members complained that the accounting practices of the parade bosses were unfair. Most of the profits of the parade went to the Notre Dame Society (a group of Notre Dame alums living in St. Louis who used the money for scholarships and to help fund a chair of Irish studies at Notre Dame). The AOH claimed they were cut out and since they were a fraternal organization helping Irish people they wanted some of the profits.
2. The other reason was that the AOH believed the parade was becoming too little Irish and becoming just a community parade. They saw (and continue to see) the parade as one emphasizing Irish roots, and Irish clans and families.

The parade committee responded that the first issue was not fair and that proper accounting was provided. Rather, they charged that some of the AOH people supported the Northern Aid committee, which they claimed supplied arms and such to the IRA. The AOH denied supplying arms and such to the IRA and still approved the Northern Aid committee as helping to support mothers and children of Irish political prisoners of Britain.

The whole first flap seemed a bit of a standoff -- sort of a choose sides for who is telling the truth -- and doesn't seem to be what lasted in the difference.

Whatever the issue, in 1984 the AOH withdrew from the downtown parade and held it's own. It did follow through on its claim to want the parade to be more Irish and held it was to:

• always be on March 17th itself and not the closest weekend.
• was to emphasize:
  • Irish patriotism.
  • Irish Catholicism.
  • Irish clans and families.

The parades in all the 17 years it has been going has had these emphasizes.

The first parade, March 17, 1984 was held in Clayton on Forsythe Blvd. It happened to be a week-end. The AOH advertised for Irish clans to come forward to march and many did.

However, Clayton was not willing to allow a parade on a work day, so for the second parade, March 17, 1985, the AOH moved to Hazelwood. This parade drew some 6,000 spectators and the number of marching Irish families and clans grew.

There were a number of committee members on the parade committee who were from south St. Louis and they wanted the parade to move south.

For the 3rd parade, March 17, 1986, Dogtown was chosen and the rest is history. This parade in two days, March 17, 2000, will be the 17th AOH parade and the 15th to be held on Tamm Ave.