For the past 40 years, the Irish of Birmingham, Alabama have taken it to the streets to mark St Patrick's Day.
With warnings of extreme weather and tornadoes on the horizon, this year's parade through downtown Birmingham, planned for Saturday 15 March, had to be called off – though the annual gala did go ahead (and sold out).
However, to keep the tradition alive, parade linchpin Marty Connors organised a small band of never-say-die supporters to carry the flag for Ireland on a mini-march.
Takes more than a tornado to stop Birmingham Irish from marching for St Patrick's Day! While main parade was cancelled due to extreme weather warning, Birmingham Irish Cultural Society in Alabama ensured a 41-year tradition was continued with a mini-march. @MartyConnors pic.twitter.com/15NayjlH7A
— Irish Echo Newspaper (@IrishEcho) March 19, 2025
"The weather prognosticators were right," says Connors. "Several tornadoes later touched down in Alabama thus the cancellation was wise, but the spirit remained. The tricolor still flew and a few souls of the Birmingham Irish cultural Society followed the parade path to maintain the tradition. 41 consecutive years of loyalty does not go down without a fight."
