Six decades of St. Patty's Day Blarney | News, sports, jobs

“Who would have thought that something that started as a joke would take 60 years?” she said.

It is believed that the parade is the longest running parade to St. Patrick's Day in Minnesota.

“The first parade was made as a joke. We ate with friends and talked about founding a parade. Bill (her husband, also known as the Blarneym master), organized it “,” said O'Connor.

The parade started at 5 p.m. and went from Kaiserhoff to Turner Hall, where the participants ate dinner.

“It was a lot of fun stopping the traffic on Broadway (during rush hour).” said O'Connor, the Irish queen in the parade, as well as her two daughters. This year is her youngest granddaughter Camryn Poulson, the daughter of Molly O'Connor, the Irish Queen.

O'Connor said that the first year of the parade contained an article by St. Paul Pioneer Press by Oliver TaWne, the pseudo -man name for Garth “Gary” Hiebert, a new Ulmborn who worked for the new Ulm Daily Journal before writing in St. Paul.

“He (Hiebert) wrote this large article about us. The next year St. Paul and Minneapolis Big St. Patrick's Day parades.

She remembered what happened when she was St. Patrick's Day Parade Queen. She said new Ulm firefighters came to the Turner Hall and kidnapped them until Bill (O'Connor) paid them ransom to released them.

O'Connor said that the Parade Committee in 2025 invited a new Ulm -voluntary -Surful, exceptional Don Brand to be part of it.

“He saved the parade for a year when Bill was in the hospital. Brand got the new Ulm battery, Concord singer and set up a boat from Retzlaff -Hardware for us. Don always said that he could organize everything in an hour. “ she said.

Fire said “When Irish eyes smile”, “ In Concertina in the 1980 parade.

“I just wanted to keep the tradition going. I'm not Irish at all. New Ulm always liked parades. Heritagefest, Memorial Day, whatever. This year I drive alongside the (Minnesota Court of Appeals Richter) John Rodenberg with the Irish. “ he said.

Kevin Sweeney, editor for the retired journal, said Bill O'Connor created the article of the Blarney St. Patrick's Day in the journal many years ago. He said that one of the first journal reporters who interviewed him was Jon Tevlin, who later became a columnist of Minneapoli's Star Tribune.

SWEENEY wrote in a Journal column that he picked up the local Blarney Story job in the 1980s. He continues to write it in retirement today.

“Bill always loved it when someone took his St. Patrick's Day comments seriously. He always said that the celebration for St. Patrick's Day would end at midnight if his wife Mary danced the Irish job in a Kaiserhoff bar. One Sunday after the article was published, Bill was about to enter St. Mary's for Mass and was addressed by an angry, older woman. “ SWEENEY wrote.

“I don't think a man like her should be allowed in the church” She told him.

“Why not?” Asked Bill.

“Every man who would let his wife dance in a bar should not be allowed in the church”, “,” she said.

The parade begins on Monday, March 17th, at 5 p.m. in St. Mary's Church in Minnesota Street South and drives north to the carillon in the Fourth Street North.