Leprechauns And Parade Routes

With the month of March upon us, not coming in very lion-like here in Montreal I must admit, can spring be far behind? Another harbinger of better weather to come, something that restarts the soul after a long winter, is the annual Montreal St. Patrick’s Day parade in a couple of weeks. This year there has been a spanner chuck into the works with the shifting of the long-used parade route. However, When I came across the news release below I felt relieved.

Press Release

Once again this year members of the Montréal branch of the International Brotherhood of Little People – the Leprechauns, will be present for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. With just over two weeks until St. Paddy’s day we are pleased to confirm our role in this year’s activities.

With the traditional route of Montréal’s St. Patrick’s Day parade unavailable due to road work on Ste. Catherine Street a new venue has been announced. Not only will the parade be moved one block north to Boulevard de Maisonneuve, but it will also move in the opposite direction, from east to west.

This will no doubt confuse many, so to ensure the smooth flow of the parade as well as help spectators find their way to the new route, our members will be present in the downtown core getting out the message. From Friday, March 16 to parade day on Sunday, March 18 we Little People will be in attendance at various Irish drinking holes (and let’s face it, that weekend they’re all Irish), and on street corners passing out maps and telling stories. While these may well be free, of course, a wee nip is never unappreciated.

When it comes to Leprechauns, some of you reading this may not be believers – yet. However, I can assure you that not a year passes without several revelers swearing they have seen one or more of us, often in places where, according to the LPS (Leprechaun Positioning System) we use, no record exists of a brother having been stationed. We understand that the taking of drink is often to blame for this odd phenomenon. Further, we stress that searching for pots of gold while intoxicated will be fruitless at best, and potentially dangerous.

So come St. Paddy’s weekend don’t be a stranger, when you see one of us introduce yourself and remember, mine’s a Guinness.

-30-

http://unitedirishsocieties.ca/parade/

 

DCMontreal – Deegan Charles Stubbs – is a Montreal writer born and raised who likes to establish balance and juxtapositions; a bit of this and a bit of that, a dash of Yin and a soupçon of Yang, some Peaks and an occasional Frean and maybe a bit of a sting in the tail! Please follow DCMontreal on Twitter and on Facebook, and add him on Google+