History and Planning of St. Patrick's Day Parades

Seton Hall University's Irish cultural society, Pirates of Irish Persuasion & Extraction (PIPE) is proud to announce the inaugural semester of the Irish Studies Discussion Series.  The series, sponsored by PIPE, provides a venue in which members of the Seton Hall community and the wider community can learn about the Irish and Irish-American experience and express their ideas on central issues related to the discussion topics.  During the first semester of the series, the five discussion events focus on the Irish experience in America. 

The Tuesday, March 2 discussion evening on the topic of the History and Planning of St. Patrick's Day Parades will be the third event in the series.  The Honorable Christopher J. Durkin, Essex County Clerk and 2010 Newark St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal, will join Noreen M. Giblin and Patrick Giblin on the evening's panel. 

Durkin, of West Caldwell, earned a Master's Degree in Human Resources, Training & Development from Seton Hall University in 2001, and has completed the County Election Official Training Program conducted by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.  His impressive career in public administration and policy is accompanied by his dedication to community involvement, and Durkin currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Saint Patrick's Guard of Honor and the American Red Cross. 

Noreen Giblin of Montclair, a 1998 graduate of the Seton Hall University School of Law and member of the American, New Jersey, and Essex County Bar Associations, is serving as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Grand Marshal of the 2010 Newark St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Chair of the 2009 Heritage Festival Ball Committee, she has also provided commentary of the Newark St. Patrick's Day Parade for cable television every year since 1999.

Patrick Giblin of Cranford, Past President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 9 (Montclair) and 2009 Chairperson of the NJ Irish Festival, he has been active in the Newark St. Patrick's Day Parade for many years.  He is the former Parade Historian and for the past five years, with his sister Noreen, has provided cable television commentary of the Parade.  He also serves as a Trustee of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of the Oranges.

This event, which will take place on Seton Hall's South Orange campus in the Beck Rooms on the ground level of Walsh Library at 7:00 PM, is free of charge and open to the public.

The series began in January with a discussion on and performance of Irish music in America, followed in February by a presentation on Irish Americans in Law Enforcement and the Military.

Later discussion events in this semester's series will focus on the Irish in Newark (Tuesday, March 23 at 7PM in the Beck Rooms of Walsh Library) and Irish Sports in America (Tuesday, April 20 at 7:30PM in the Nursing Building, Room 102). 

For further information on the series, contact Maura Harrington at maura.harrington@shu.edu or 201.463.5967, or join the discussion series' Facebook group, titled Seton Hall University Irish Studies Discussion Series.