By Roksana Amid (mailto:ramid@liherald.com)

https://www.liherald.com/glencove/stories/sept-11-first-responder-will-lead-st-patricks-day-parade,164563?fbclid=IwAR1e0iauSEReSLOvqWJ-i9Wb_tbrOr76YKXFmLFlHlTUdSPsJ96dvYNircw

Glen Cove’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will mark its 35th anniversary with Bayville resident and 9/11 first responder Ryan Doherty leading the way as the historic parade’s grand marshal.

Doherty, who will help celebrate the heritage and rich culture of the Irish, was an easy choice for the honor by this year’s parade committee.

Typically, choosing a grand marshal takes time. The parade committee usually has a few choices, but this year, organizers knew instantly who they wanted to represent their community.  “When someone suggests the likes of Ryan, we know we are not going any further,” said Andy Stafford, the parade’s treasurer.

Doherty was born in Smithtown in 1974, and his upbringing was deeply influenced by his Irish immigrant parents, William and Teresa Doherty.  His father is one of the parade’s founders and a former grand marshal.

Doherty’s involvement in the Irish community is plentiful as an avid bagpiper for the Pipes and Drums of the Police Emerald Society of Westchester County, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department Ceremonial Unit Pipes and Drums. He is also a
member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Knights of Columbus, the Elks Club, the NYPD Holy Name Society, and the Brotherhood of the Fallen, NYC Chapter.

Doherty is known among his friends as a history buff, a craft beer enthusiast, a Notre Dame football fan, a New York Islanders hockey fan, and a Gaelic Athletic Association supporter. He holds dual citizenship for both the United States and Ireland, where he celebrated his first birthday.

A 1992 Locust Valley High School graduate, he received a bachelor’s of science degree in Aviation Administration from SUNY Farmingdale in 1996. He worked for Aer Lingus Irish Airlines and later, became as a U.S. Customs Inspector at JFK International Airport.

Doherty shifted his career and attended the New York Police Department Police Academy where he was awarded the Chief of Police Award for highest academic average for the class of 1999. That July, Doherty became a police officer for the MTA Police Department.

One of the most impactful moments in his career came as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Manhattan. At 26-years-old, Doherty was tasked with providing security and safety, while also helping pull victims from the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center towers. He said the most physically challenging moments for him were the days in the aftermath of the attacks. “You couldn’t even see in front of your face,” he said. “It was like walking on the surface of the moon.”

Doherty was recently diagnosed with respiratory ailments and other certified illnesses as a result of spending over 1,000 hours at Ground Zero during the rescue and recovery operations. He hopes that his involvement in the parade will help create awareness that there are many who are still suffering mentally and physically in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

In April 2003, Ryan was promoted to the rank of sergeant and is currently assigned to the Operations Unit Emergency Operation Center in Long Island City. The Irish Echo Law-and-Order Leader also honored Doherty in 2011. Last year, he received a distinguished service award from the Nassau County Municipal Police Chiefs Association.

In addition to his role as the grand marshal, Doherty is partially responsible for acquiring funds for local corporate sponsorships to run the
parade. Any profits from the parade go to the charity of choice, which Doherty has selected as the Winters Center for Autism, in honor of his
cousin, Joseph Winter, who died from complications from Covid-19 at 54 years old.

The Long Island-based nonprofit organization helps support adults with autism through job creation, training and placement, while helping
businesses employ people with autism. 

“There’s a job for everybody, we just got to find the right spot for the right person,” Doherty said.

Doherty and his cousin had a strong bond growing up. The Winters family was instrumental in helping Doherty’s parents immigrate to New
York and get their start in Glen Cove.

Listen to 2023 Grand Marshal Ryan Doherty interviewed on WLR-FM Radio, Co. Waterford, Ireland

Son of well-known Waterford family to lead St Patrick’s Day Parade in America

A familiar name in Waterford will lead the St Patrick’s Day parade in Glen Cove, Long Island this year.

Ryan Doherty, whose parents Bill and Teresa ran the Saratoga Pub in Woodstown for many years, will lead the route this year.

In 2018, Bill himself was the Grand Marshall of the parade so the mantle has passed from father to son.

49-year-old Ryan assisted in pulling victims from the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center Towers in 2001 as a police officer.

With roots leading all the way back to the Waterford Estuary, Ryan will proudly represent the Irish this year across the water.

Ryan has been speaking to WLR’s Dymphna Nugent about his journey to being chosen as Grand Marshal.

Listen to 2023 Grand Marshal Ryan Doherty interviewed on WLR-FM Radio, Co. Waterford, Ireland

WHAT’S NEW FOR THE 2023 GLEN COVE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE:  

The Parade will now use a shorter, more comfortable route,  – just one-half mile long, half the old distance – to bring everyone together and concentrate all the fun right in the center of Glen Cove!

All spectator parking will now be literally just steps from the viewing areas.

Marchers will park less than a block from the end of the Parade, with a bus shuttling them to the staging area just minutes away.

The Parade Reviewing Stand will now be in the new Village Square, at the climax point of the Parade.

The 2023 Glen Cove Saint Patrick’s Day Parade takes place on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at 1 pm.  Founded in 1989 the parade is the premier St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Long Island.  It takes place each year on the Sunday after St. Patrick’s Day and is a joyous first sign of Spring for Long Islanders and visitors.  Three generations old, the Parade this year is celebrating the young people who are following in the footsteps of those who started this great tradition.

Ryan W. Doherty, Grand Marshal, 2023 Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The Grand Marshal of the 2023 parade is Ryan W. Doherty, a Sergeant with the New York MTA Police.  An acclaimed leader in law enforcement and the Irish American community, Sgt. Doherty is the son of Irish immigrants to Long Island.  He and his family have been deeply involved in organizing the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade since its inception.  Joining Ryan in leading the Parade will be a large group of Aides to the Grand Marshal who, like him, are the descendants of past Grand Marshals of the Parade. 

The Parade begins to form up at 12 noon in the area of the Finley Middle School at Forest Avenue and Dosoris Lane in Glen Cove.  It steps off at 1 pm and proceeds through the streets of downtown Glen Cove.  There is ample parking at Glen Cove’s municipal parking garages and elsewhere and shuttle buses will run between the parking areas and the formation area.

The heart of the parade, as always, will be its exciting mix of marching groups, including bands of Irish pipers and other musicians, along with vintage cars, costumed performers, fire and police units, and much more.  The parade is a true community celebration with marching groups from the Irish and the many other ethnic groupings who live in the area taking part.  Come, join the fun!

The Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade receives NO public or municipal financial support.  It depends solely on tax-deductible corporate sponsorship and individual donations to the Glen Cove Parade Committee Inc.  Please visit glencoveparade.com to review tax-deductible support opportunities. All parade expenses are paid in this way and all funds collected in excess of those expenses are donated directly to carefully chosen charities.

For more information, please visit the parade website at www.glencoveparade.com, call or text 516-782-7494, or email anpiobaire@aol.com.  The Glen Cove Parade Committee, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable corporation, and all contributions are tax-deductible.

WHAT’S NEW:  

• • The Parade will now use a shorter, more comfortable route,  – just one-half mile long, half the old distance – to bring everyone together and concentrate all the fun right in the center of Glen Cove!

  • All spectator parking will now be literally just steps from the viewing areas.

  • Marchers will park less than a block from the end of the Parade, with a bus shuttling them to the staging area just minutes away.

  • The Parade Reviewing Stand will now be in the new Village Square, at the climax point of the Parade.

There will be a fun and family-friendly After-Parade Party right at the end of the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade route, at the Metropolitan, located at 3 Pratt Blvd, Glen Cove, NY 11542, just around the corner from the new and improved parade route.

• The party features non-stop Irish music, a performance by Irish stepdancers and a stirring demonstration of Irish piping by pipers who march in the Parade.
• Sunday, March 19, 2023, 2:30 pm – 6:00 pm
• $20 Donation prepaid (please use the form below) or pay $25 at the door.
• Full Corned Beef Dinner – Cash Bar – Children under 13 Free
• To reserve and pay for party admission online, please use the form below.
• For further information, please call Ann Kelly 516-314-6210/ann.kelly@elliman.com

Please use this form for easy and safe payment for admission to the party and to avoid waiting on line for admission:

 Ryan W. Doherty, the Grand Marshal of the
2023 Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade
will be installed at a grand Irish party,
traditionally called a “hooley” on
Saturday, February 4, 2023 6:00 – 11:00 P.M. at
St. Rocco Parish Hall 18 3rd St., Glen Cove, NY 11542

Donation: $15.00

• Bring a sharing dish
• Bring your own Beverage
• Bring a “Party Piece*” to share (or just come and listen!)
• 

For information:

Ann Kelly:516-671-4518/ann.kelly@elliman.com
Robert Lynch: 516-782-7494/anpiobaire@aol.com

“Hooley” is a fun word for a very lively, informal Irish house party.  It’s a tradition that dates back in Ireland and Irish America to the days before recorded entertainment, before radio and TV.  It still lingers among people who understand how much fun it can be for friends and family to entertain each other.

The party centers around the idea of the “party piece”.  A lot of people come to the party prepared with at least one party piece of entertainment – a song or a tune on an instrument, a stepdance, a poem, a recitation, or a joke or story to tell – for the enjoyment of everyone at the party.

Anyone can take a turn, or join in with someone else, or just listen.  It’s a great way to get to know your friends and neighbors.

A hooley might break out spontaneously anytime friends are gathered at a neighbor’s house, usually in the kitchen, where everyone can share the food and drink brought along by the guests.