Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, will lead the upcoming White Plains St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The parade, the 26th annual, is set for Saturday, March 8.
Parade Co-Chairs, Councilman John Martin, Beth O’Keeffe Cleary, Declan Farrell and Brian Mahon together announced the selection of Cardinal Dolan as the Grand Marshal.
According to organizers, this year, in addition to the parade's traditional aides, David Walsh, born in Ballina, County Mayo and a longtime White Plains resident, has been chosen as a "Special Aide to the Grand Marshal."
In addition, Colleen Wall and WCPO Vincent Finnegan, Jr., have been selected as the first ever, "Rising Lad and Lassie." They represent the under 30 age group. Aides this year are: Paul Thomas, Jed Dorney, WPFF Thomas Devine IV, Nancy Ryan Tirone, Elizabeth Doherty DiLullo and Caroline Molloy.
"The White Plains Parade celebrates the contributions of the Irish people to humankind through their rich culture and music, their indomitable spirit, and their legendary warmth and humor. This year’s event will feature 20 marching bands, over 12 floats and numerous community groups and organizations," stated parade organizers in their release.
The official Parade Installation took place on February 27, 2025 at Archbishop Stepinac High School.
The parade itself kicks off at 12 noon Saturday from the intersection of Mamaroneck Avenue and Old Mamaroneck Road in the Westchester County city.
The parade continues down Mamaroneck Avenue to Main Street where it makes a right-hand turn and passes in front of City Hall. The parade ends after City Hall at EJ Conroy Drive. The parade route is just under a mile and takes about one hour to complete.
The parade goes on rain of shine and, according to organizers, and will not be canceled unless weather conditions are unsafe.
Marchers are asked to to gather at about 11:15 am to be lined up in the appropriate divisions. The Line of March and other details will be posted on the website www.wpsaintpatricksdayparade.com.
Cardinal Dolan's journey from Manhattan to White Plains will be a short one, far shorter than his recent trip to Ireland which ended up as something of a marathon.
The cardinal left Newark, New Jersey on February 13 aboard United flight 23 to Dublin.
The plane, according to reports, had flown past Newfoundland when a medical emergency on board forced the pilots to turn the plane around and land in St. John’s.
Bad weather kept the cardinal and his fellow passengers on the ground for four days before he was able to return to New York. Ireland would have to wait for another day for his eminence.
While in St. John's, Dolan presided over Mass and delivered a sermon at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, much to the delight of his hosts.
