The first St-Patrick`s Day parade was celebrated in Montreal in 1759, three years before the start of New York’s well-known parade, in 1762. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, the parade has run consecutively each year since 1824. My great grandfather arrived from Ballybunion, Ireland in Montreal after the Great Famine and was one of the organizers of the St-Patrick’s Day Parade.
It has also been voted by the National Geographic one of the top 10 St. Patrick`s Day celebrations in the world! This does not surprise me. St-Patrick’s Day celebrations are times when politics are set aside and the French and English speaking people parade in the streets of Montreal, Irish pubs are filled with revellers singing, dancing and drinking various ales and draughts …of course there is a lot of green beer too; servers are dressed in costumes dated back to the 19th century.
St-Patrick`s Basilica in Montréal opened on March 17th in 1847 and this church has an even more significant meaning to me as my father’s cousin, Father Michael O’Donnell gave his first mass at St-Patrick’s Baslilica in 1979…a very solemn and moving moment for friends and family.
As a young child, St-Patrick’s explanation of the Holy Trinity made so much sense…
child moves gracefully,
field of three-leaved-grasse
chanting, “three in one!”
© Tournesol ’15
Resources: Montreal Irish Parade – historian’s corner
National Geographic – top 10 St Patrick’s Day Celebrations
Tourisme-Montréal – 10 Fun Facts
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
The trinity was explained to us through the shamrock when we were children too:)Enjoyed your haibun very much.
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Thanks, Rall, it was the only thing that made sense to me back then. Later, I remember a nun saying to stop asking questions…having faith was just accepting what they told us. The shamrock made more sense 😉
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your post made me smile…ah the memories.
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Yes, it shows I’m getting old…the long term memories seem so vivid 😉
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LOL join the club!
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Beautiful memories! I can say I saw that church. How cool to have all that history in your family.
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As I wrote this, I was hoping you had seen it since it is just before going towards Old Montreal. In the olden days, the St Patrick’s Day Parade started around there and went on the streets of Old Montreal.
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