Copied from the 1989 Parade Journal:

John Sweeney, Grand Marshal, 1989 Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The ‘Spirit of the Irish’ is exemplified on this first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the city of Glen Cove by John Sweeney, one of the community’s proud Irishmen who lead today’s gala salute to the patron Saint of Ireland.

Glen Cove’s AOH Division 8, under the capable direction of Michael Moran, are sponsors of today’s colorful presentation of Irish culture on Long Island’s North Shore.

John, a former Postmaster of Glen Cove and past president of Division 8, is also founder of the North Shore American/Irish Cultural Society, one of Long Island’s most active groups in promoting Irish culture and “Keeping the Spirit Alive”.

Our Grand Marshall also serves as Trustee on the local library board and his ‘roots’ originate in Counties Tipperary and Kerry.

John and his wife Teresa are long-time residents of Glen Cove and are active parishioners at Saint Patrick’s where our worthy Grand Marshal serves as an Extraordinary Minister.  The Sweeney’s often visit Charleston, South Carolina, where John is a member of the local Hibernian Society (not affiliated with the AOH).  This organization maintains historical Irish records dating back over one hundred years.

On this glorious, historical day for Glen Cove, the parade committee salutes John and joins with him in extending a warm welcome to our distinguished guests, marchers, friends and visitors from the surrounding communities.

May we continue to “Keep the Spirit Alive” for many years to come in Glen Cove by establishing the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade as an annual tradition and maintaining the principles of Friendship, Unity and Charity that is always associated with today’s Grand Marshall, John Sweeney.

Patrick “Patsy” Furlong, Grand Marshal, 2019 St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Glen Cove, NY, January 13, 2019: The Glen Cove Parade Committee, Inc., organizers of the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade, has announced the selection of Patrick “Patsy” Furlong as Grand Marshal of the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Mr. Furlong is a native of County Wexford, Ireland, and a longtime resident of Glen Cove, where he owns a successful landscaping business and has been a beloved member of the staff at All Saints Regional Catholic School for the past twenty years.  Patrick is an active member of the Glen Cove Hibernians and has been instrumental in promoting the Parade for many years.

Patrick Furlong was born on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1958 in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland, the eldest son of the Ellen and Joseph Furlong.  He was educated at Poulpeasty School and the New Ross Vocational School.

Upon graduation, Patrick became interested in the trucking business, ultimately finding him driving tractor-trailers literally across the length and breadth of Ireland, from Wexford in the southeast corner or the country all the way to County Donegal in the far northwest.

It wasn’t until April 8, 1983, when Patsy’s brother, Martin, asked him to be Best Man at his wedding, that Patsy gave any thought to emigrating to the United States.  That day he had the good fortune of meeting the beautiful Nancy Merrick of Sea Cliff, Long Island, who was to become his spouse, in 1988.  Patsy became a proud U.S. citizen in 2002.

Patsy and Nancy live in Glen Cove, Long Island with their daughter, Emily.  Patrick is a valued member of the community, known fondly to generations of students at All Saints as their devoted “Mr. Patsy”, who escorts them to school from their buses each morning and, as head custodian, has their historic school building in pristine condition.  He does all this while also running his own landscaping business, pursuing his love of gardening and the outdoors.

Patrick Furlong has been an exemplary Hibernian since 1983.  He has held positions as Marshal and Recording Secretary.  The clearest signs of the high esteem in which Patsy is held by his sister and brother Hibernians are the facts that he was named Aide to the Grand Marshal of the Parade in 2003 and that he has now received the the highest honor, that of leading us all as Grand Marshal of on his 61st Birthday, of the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The 31st Annual Glen Cove Saint Patrick’s Day Parade takes place on St. Patrick’s Day itself, Sunday, March 17, 2019.  The parade is the premier St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Long Island.  This year is one of the very rare occasions when the Parade takes place on St. Patrick’s Day itself.  We are able to this because the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place on Saturday when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday.

The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade is Patrick “Patsy” Furlong.  Patrick is a native of County Wexford, Ireland and a longtime resident of Glen Cove, where he runs a landscaping business and has been a beloved staff member at All Saints Regional Catholic School for twenty years.

The Parade has taken place annually since 1989.  It has grown to be the largest annual parade in Glen Cove and a joyous celebration that is eagerly awaited each Spring by all residents of the North Shore and the entire Long Island community.

The Parade begins to form up at 12 noon in the area of the Finley Middle School on Forest Avenue.  It steps off at 1 pm, following the usual route through downtown Glen Cove to St. Patrick’s Church.  There is very ample parking in the municipal garages and at the end of the parade route.  Shuttle buses will run between the parking areas and the formation area.

The parade is followed by a family-friendly post-parade party at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, at the end of the parade route.

The heart of the parade, as always, will be its exciting mix of marching groups, including many bands of Irish pipers and other marching bands.  Further color will be added to the festivities by vintage cars, costumed performers, face painters, fire and police units and much more.  The parade is a true community celebration of the coming of Spring with many of our areas’ ethnic organizations, often in costume, taking part.  Come, join the fun!

For more information, please visit the parade website at www.glencoveparade.com or call 516-782-7494.

Grand Marshal Bill Doherty, with his wife, Teresa

William (Bill) Doherty was born May 1, 1950 in Russianside, Cheekpoint, Co. Waterford, Ireland, the son of fisherman/seaman Andrew and his wife, Nancy Doherty.  He was raised in a small cottage with his four sisters, Elizabeth, Agnes, Brigid, and Ann. In his younger years, he lived near the River Suir and worked on the salmon and herring fishing boats which plied their trade in small fishing villages along the Suir Estuary.

Bill was 17 when he met his future wife, Teresa, while working the ferryboat at Great Island, Waterford. During their years of courting, it wasn’t unusual for Bill to walk five miles to meet Teresa at the neighboring village of Ballygunner. They were married on March 18, 1972 at St John’s Church, Parnell Street, Waterford City.

After working the summer of 1972 in Dingle, Co. Kerry, Bill and his new bride made the life-altering decision to emigrate at 22 years of age to Long island, New York. Bill and Teresa were sponsored by his sister, Brigid. Bill and Teresa lived initially in Lindenhurst, with the Winters Family, before moving to Saint James, where their son, Ryan, was born in 1974. They settled in Glen Cove in 1977, to be closer to Bill’s job,  at Ever-Ready Sanitation.

Around that time, Bill became a parishioner of St Patrick’s, Glen Cove, where he met other AOH members, such as Mike Moran, and became a member of Division 8. In 1979, Bill and Teresa’s daughter, Tara Ann was born. Bill was then employed by Daniello and Son in Locust Valley. In 1983, Andrew John was born and for the next decade Bill raised his growing family in Glen Cove, often sending the kids to Ireland for the summers so that he could work hard, sometimes at 3 jobs, 7 days a week.

In 1989, Bill and other Hibernians formed a small committee to start a St Patrick’s Day Parade in Glen Cove. The parade is now celebrating its 30th Anniversary as the only Hibernian sponsored parade in Nassau County, growing over the years to become the premier celebration of Irish heritage and culture on the North Shore.

In 1990, Bill and his family, realizing their “American Dream” bought their own home and moved to Bayville. During his many years of working and living on the North Shore, Bill was always willing to lend a hand at AOH events such as the Project Children Cruise and the Coney Island Great Irish Fair. Bill was always willing to help young Irish immigrants looking for work. Bill served as AOH Division 8 President from 1990 to 1992.

In February, 2005, Bill and Teresa made the decision to return “home” to run the world-famous Saratoga Bar on the scenic strand of Woodstown, Co. Waterford, made famous by a visit from the Kennedy Family in the 1960’s. Bill the Publican, a natural behind the bar, worked hard at building up the bar’s tourist trade and local customer base. He enjoyed his eleven years managing the bar along with his sidekick, Teresa, behind the stick. He treated everyone entering his premise with warm courtesy and respect.

In 2016, a major flood nearly destroyed the pub but it was rebuilt better than ever. With the passing of some family members and the ever-growing grandchild count, Bill and Teresa made the choice to return once more to the Gold Coast to enjoy semi-retirement and the fruits of their labor. Lucky for us! Life came full circle; Bill now works part-time with his nephews at Winter Bros Waste Systems, one of the largest private sanitation companies on Long Island.

Bill is truly honored to be chosen as Grand Marshal of the 2018 Glen Cove St Patrick’s Day Parade and he is humbled to be considered amongst the elite group of twenty-nine illustrious people who have been given this special honor over the past three decades. His selection as Grand Marshal is a celebration of what an immigrant with a hard work ethic and love for both Ireland and America can accomplish over a life well lived.

Bill wishes to thank the Parade Committee for its hard work and dedication to keeping the Parade running and growing. It is truly fitting on this milestone anniversary year that the parade pays tribute to one of its founders on the same day that Bill and Teresa celebrate their 46th Wedding Anniversary! The Doherty’s, their three children and seven grandchildren will lead the parade with well-deserved pride.

Kevin C. Horton
Aide to the Grand Marshal, 2018

Kevin C. Horton is an accomplished author, journalist, professor and editor who resides in Sea Cliff and is well known for his service to our community.  He was born in Glen Cove and raised in Sea Cliff from the age of three. 

Kevin’s parents are Robert Horton and the late Patricia Campbell Horton, journalist and owner of the Sea Cliff/Glen Cove Times and founder, in 1991, along with Kevin, of the Glen Cove Gazette, a weekly newspaper on the North Shore of Long Island.  Kevin produced and edited that newspaper for 25 years until selling the publication in 2016.

Kevin attended Sea Cliff Elementary school, the Fidel School in Glen Cove, North Shore Middle School.  He graduated from North Shore High School in 1985, and from the NYIT Communication Arts program in 1991, with high honors.

Upon graduation he started the Gold Coast Gazette in 1991 along with his mother.  With thousands of subscribers, this weekly publication has since gone on to receive many awards and is considered the number one source for reliable, fair and balanced news for five communities on the North Shore of Long Island.

Kevin is a member of the New York Press Association and the Long Island Press Association.  Debuting in September 2011, he produced and starred in “Kevin’s Corner TV” a Cablevision show featuring local personalities and stories.  The show still enjoys life on its own YouTube Channel.

Kevin owns an online marketing business called www.urfamilyfirst.info and is an adjunct professor of Journalism at New York Institute of Technology.  He is an avid car enthusiast and actually owned a few of the cars featured in his latest children’s book titled, “Cee Jay and Bugsy”.

“After more than 25 years in the field of Journalism I can say, with strong conviction, it has been an amazing ride.  I love the field, the challenges, the trials and tribulations and I am excited about where the profession is headed,” said Horton

In the Spring of 2013 Kevin returned to NYIT as a professor of Journalism and is currently teaching Introduction to Journalism, News Gathering, and assisting with television production department.  He Is also the advisor of the Campus Slate, the same publication he was editor of when he was an undergraduate at NYIT.  “My experience in the field of communication has been a great ride and now I’m enjoying sharing that ride with the next generation of journalists to ensure that this amazing field continues to flourish for generations to come.“

Kevin and his family have been part of the very fabric of Long Island for centuries.  A paternal ancestor, Barnabas Horton, was one of the original European migrants to this area, arriving in Southold before the year 1640.  The Horton family are active parishioners at St. Boniface Martyr Parish, where he married his wife, Milkenia, in 1992.  Kevin and Milkenia have two children, Kacey, age 20, and Samantha, age 15.