Fred Hill was born in Mineola and raised in Manhasset, where he attended St Mary school.  He is the oldest of five children, two boys and three girls. He served in the US Army in Vietnam in the 101st Airborne Division.  After the US Army Fred worked for the US Postal Service.  He later began to work in construction and started his own business.  Fred has owned Fred Hill Construction from 1977 until retirement.  He continues to use his skills working on his home on various projects.

Fred’s Grandparents on both sides were born in County Cork Ireland.  One grandfather was a captain in the FDNY.  The other was a NYC stablemaster at the Central Park stable which supplied horses for the police and fire departments.  His father was a general surgeon and his mother a Registered Nurse.

Fred married his loving wife Linda in the early 1970’s.  They had two sons together.  His eldest son, Dustin, was a NYPD officer who died in a car accident 2002.  His son, Eric, is an automotive technician at Ferrari/Maserati.  Linda, worked as a Registered Nurse until retirement.

Fred, Dustin and Eric all joined the AOH.  Fred was involved with the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day parade since its inception.  Since 2002 one of the most prominent contingents in the Parade has been one of friends who have joined the Hill Family walking and on motorcycles to honor Dustin.

In 1996 Fred made his Major Degree in the Order.  The Irish flag is at Dustin’s grave and is often displayed at the Hill home.  Their Irish heritage is important to the entire family.  The Hills went to Cork City in 1996 for a wedding of one of their cousins.  Fred, Linda and Eric will be visiting cousins in Ireland in near future.

The Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade has named Julie Albin and Chris Albin as Grand Marshals of the 2017 Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which takes place on Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 1 pm.  They will be accompanied by Aides to the Grand Marshal Sophie McCabe and Fred Hill.  The Marshals and Aides will be installed at an Irish Hoolely to be held at St. Rocco Hall on February 18, 2017, 7 – 10 p.m.

Glen Cove, NY – The Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee installed the Grand Marshal of this year’s parade at a ceremony which took place last week at St. Rocco Parish Hall.  The Grand Marshal is Locust Valley resident, Paul Long, well known on the North Shore as a community activist, a first responder in both Locust Valley and Glen Cove and a proponent of efforts to provide support services for serving soldiers and returning veterans.  Mr. Long will be accompanied by Aides to the Grand Marshal Regina McGannon Begley and her husband Peter Begley, both well known for their involvement in Irish social and cultural affairs in the metropolitan area.

The 28^th Annual Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 1pm in downtown Glen Cove.  This dazzling event is the premier St. Patrick’s Day celebration on the North Shore of Long Island and it is the largest annual parade in the Glen Cove area.

St. Patrick’s Day Parades around the world this year are joining in the celebration of the Centennial of the Irish Revolution which began in Dublin on Easter Monday, 1916.

The backbone of the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade, as always, will be its exciting mix of marching groups, including many bands of Irish pipers and other musicians.  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 area’s ethnic organizations, often in traditional costume, taking part.  Come, join the fun!

The Parade is supported by donations to a special Commemorative Journal honoring the Grand Marshal.  All proceeds beyond parade expenses are donated to charities chosen by the Grand Marshal.  To place an ad, or for more information about the parade, please visit www.glencoveirishparade.org or call Robert Lynch at 516-782-7494

Paul Long was born in 1964, in Duncormick, Co. Wexford the oldest of the seven children of Michael and Ann Long.  He attended school at the Ballymitty National School and went on to St. Peter’s College in Wexford Town.

After leaving school, Paul joined the Irish Reserve Defense Forces, was posted for six months in the Curragh military camp and served for a time near the border.

Following his military service, Paul spent a period of time working at his family’s supermarket as a butcher.  He decided, at the age of 20 to come to the United States.  As he tells the story, he wished to fulfill his lifelong dream of meeting John Wayne and Elvis Presley.  News traveled slowly in County Wexford back then, so Paul only discovered when he arrived in New York that the Duke and the King were no longer with us.

Another stroke of luck brought Paul to Long Island.  Upon his arrival in this country he couldn’t locate the friend of a friend he was supposed to meet in New York City, and instead called a Locust Valley number his aunt had slipped into his pocket.

Paul soon found employment working on the grounds at the Piping Rock Club.  More good luck followed as was joined here a year later by the beautiful Jacinta “Cindy” Long, also from Co. Wexford.

From 1985 to 1992, Paul worked for a local landscape contractor.  During this time, he became acquainted with the famous Nelson Doubleday, who in 1992 recruited him as the senior horticultural technician on his estate in Locust Valley.

Paul join AOH in the early 1990’s.  He ultimately became President and Chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Paul was instrumental in transforming the Division from an obscure fraternal organization to a well-known organization heavily involved in a wide variety of community events and causes on the North Shore.

Paul also continued his studies, receiving a degree in ornamental horticulture at SUNY Farmingdale.  He is a member of the Long Island Rose Society, the American Rose Society and the Manhattan Rose Society.  In this field Paul has achieved the status of “Consulting Rosarian”.

Paul was profoundly moved by the events of September 11, 2001 and felt compelled to do everything he could to assist his country in the wake of that day’s attacks.  He started by travelling into Manhattan to provide what aid he could to the rescue and recovery workers who toiled there.

Inspired by the example of the first responders on 9/11, Paul became a member of the Locust Valley Fire Department.  He went on to become Second Lieutenant and, then, First Lieutenant and is now the Captain of a Hose Co. No. 1.  He has been elected a commissioner of the Locust Valley Fire District and is currently serving a five-year term in that position.

Paul went back to school yet again, becoming first an EMT, then an EMT CC (critical care), and ultimately becoming a paramedic in 2014.  He has served as volunteer paramedic with the Glen Cove EMS for the past 5 years.

Paul designed and constructed Glen Cove’s first 9/11 Memorial, incorporated into a rose garden he planted in Morgan Park.

One of Paul’s proudest accomplishments has been his work with Wounded Warriors.  He and two fellow Locust Valley firefighters began raising funds for wounded troops and they went on to become the highest fundraising department on Long Island.  Paul has made regular trips to Camp Lejeune and Ft. Bragg to distribute gifts bought with funds he raises to the troops and their families.  He also volunteers with Hope for the Warriors, among other things by picking up and driving wounded troops when they visit New York.

Two days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Paul travelled as part of an American Red Cross medical team to Mississippi and Louisiana, spending three weeks assisting those worst affected by the storm.

Paul and Cindy have three children, Aaron, Tanya, James.  Aaron, 30, is a Firefighter with the FDNY, Engine 301, based in Hollis, Queens.  Tanya, 25, is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in the arts at Cranbrook, in Michigan.  James, 13, is in the Seventh Grade at Locust Valley Middle School, and plans to become a professional hockey player.

Born in the Bronx on September 19th, 1956 Regina is the second child of Patrick & Mary (Crotty) McGannon.  Both of her parents were born in County Clare, Ireland.  Regina has an older brother, Pat and a younger sister, Mary.  The McGannon’s moved from the Bronx to Washington Heights in 1964.  Regina graduated from St. Elizabeth’s grammar school in 1970 and attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary where she was a member of the Junior Varsity basketball team in her freshman and sophomore years.  She graduated from SHM in 1974 and from Manhattan College in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing.  While at Manhattan, Regina served as an officer on the Commuter Student Council, was a member of the Gaelic Society and was a member of the first women’s basketball team at Manhattan.  Regina and her fellow Lady Jaspers were honored by the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 for their contributions to women’s sports at Manhattan.

Regina joined the LAOH in 1996 as a member of Division 17, Long Beach.  Within 3 years, she was elected Treasurer and has held an office on Division 17’s executive board for 14 of the last 16 years, including several terms as Division President.

Regina was elected to the Nassau County Board in 2003, serving since in several positions, and is currently the County Board President.  She has been a dedicated volunteer for the annual AOH Nassau County Feis and Festival since 2002 and took on the arduous task of Dance Chairperson in 2007; a position she still holds.

In 2006, Regina was named Division 17’s Woman of the Year and served as Aide to the Grand Marshal in the Long Beach Irish Day Parade.  In 2009, Regina was named LAOH Nassau County Woman of the Year and in January 2015 she was honored at the AOH Nassau County Ball as the 2014 Feis Worker of the Year.

In 2013, Regina was elected to the LAOH New York State Board and is presently serving as the LAOH NYS Irish Historian.  In 2015, Regina served as the Local Co-Chair for the 2015 AOH/LAOH NYS Convention.

Not only is Regina an Aide to our Grand Marshal Paul Long, she has also received the high honor this year of being appointed as Senator George J. Mitchell, Grand Marshal of this year’s historic 2016 NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Regina has been employed by New York Life Insurance Company for the past 37 years and currently holds the position of Corporate Vice President in the Insurance Technology Department.  Regina is an active member of the company’s Volunteers for Life program working to improve the quality of life for others through service to the communities surrounding New York Life’s Home Office in Manhattan and the New York Life Westchester campus where she works.  She has participated in the Back to School program, the annual food drive, the winter coat drive and the Christmas Gift Giving program.

Regina is a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Island Park and for several years has lent her support and time at the Parish’s annual San Gennaro Feast.

Regina has been married to her husband Peter K. Begley for 16 years.  They have no children of their own but are the proud aunt and uncle to eleven wonderful, successful and talented nieces and nephews; two grand nieces and one grand nephew.

Born in Manhattan on May 13, 1955, Peter is the first born child of Gerald and Phyllis (Short) Begley (of Springfield, Mass.)  Along with his younger sister Jerilyn, Peter is second generation Irish-American.  The Begleys moved from Kew Gardens Hills in Queens to Point Lookout in 1966, and settled in Island Park in 1967.  Peter graduated from the Island Park School District in 1970 and graduated from West Hempstead High School in 1974.  He attended the State University of New York at Morrisville A&T College and SUNY Farmingdale Agricultural and Technical College for Electrical Engineering Technology.

Peter has been employed in the defense electronics industry on Long Island by such companies as Sedco Systems, Aeroflex Laboratories, and Sperry/Unisys, holding positions ranging from Test Technician to Test Engineer.  He has had a private computer consulting business since 1988.

In 1990 Peter joined the Island Park Volunteer Fire Department, rising through the ranks to Captain of the Original Engine Company No. 1, and becoming a “Life-Member” in May, 2015, and is still an active member today.  He also joined the Nassau County Firefighters Emerald Society that same year, and is currently that group’s Vice-President.

Peter became a member of AOH Division 17, Long Beach NY in 1990.  He is currently the Vice President of the AOH Nassau County Board, where he has also served as Sentinel, Marshal, Standing Committee Chairman and Recording Secretary.  He can be found lending a helping hand at many Hibernian events such as the Annual Picnic, the Semi- Annual Drawings, the Nassau County Feis, Stand Up for Life, and the San Gennaro Feast in Island Park.  He has been a member of the Long Beach Irish Heritage Day Parade and Festival committee since it’s start in 1991.

Peter would like to thank the Parade Committee for the honor to serve as an Aide to Grand Marshal (and Good Friend/Brother Hibernian) Paul Long in the 2016 Glen Cove Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.

Glen Cove, NY  January 18, 2016 – The Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee has announced the selection of the Paul Long as Grand Marshal of the 28^th  Annual Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade, taking place Sunday, March 2o, 2016.  This dazzling event, has grown to be the premier St. Patrick’s Day celebration on the North Shore and the largest annual parade in Glen Cove.

Paul Long will be accompanied by Aides to the Grand Marshal Peter Begley and Regina Begley.  The Grand Marshal and his Aides will be installed at a Sash Presentation Ceremony taking place on Saturday, February 20, 2015 at 7pm at St. Rocco Parish Hall in Glen Cove.

The ceremony is followed immediately by a traditional Irish party called a “hooley”.  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, 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 the “party piece”.  Some people come to the party prepared to present a piece of entertainment – a song or a tune on an instrument, a stepdance, a poem, a recitation,  a joke or a story to tell for the enjoyment of everyone at the party.  Food and drink are also shared, on a pot-luck basis.

A free-will donation of $20 is requested.

For more information about the installation of the Grand Marshal, the Hooley and the Parade, please visit www.glencoveirishparade.org or call 516-782-7494.