Don't Miss: Pearl River St. Patrick's Parade 2016

Sunday is the 54th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Pearl River, named last year the most Irish place in New York.

The Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians is also marking the 100th anniversary of the Easter Uprising.

There will be a special guest speaker at this year's pre-Parade breakfast, Dr. Ruan O’Donnell. A professor of history at the University of Limerick, O'Donnell has appeared in many documentaries on the history of the Rising and is the editor of the acclaimed ‘16 Lives‘ series for O’Brien Press.

The breakfast starts at 10 a.m. at the Hilton Pearl River, after the Parade Mass at the Dominican Convent in Sparkill.

SEE: Pearl River Most Irish Place in New York

the parade steps off at 1:30 p.m. from the Pfizer parking lot, but police will close off roads up to an hour beforehand.

On-street parking is available in the Pearl River area, look for signs on parade day. Parade organizers point out that handicapped parking will be available in the Parking Lot of the First Niagara Bank at 93 N. Middletown Road and the Municipal Parking Lot at the corner of North William Street and East Washington Avenue.

The parade route goes east onto E. Crooked Hill Road, turning south onto N. Middletown Road, turning west onto E. Central Avenue turning south onto South Main Street, and ending in the area of the Pearl River Post Office.

The 2016 Rockland County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal is Dermot Moore, a Pearl River resident, retired NYPD now in corporate security. The 2016 Parade Commander is Cyril P. Kerr. Rockland's 2016 Aide to the Grand Marshal NYC was Kevin G. Donohue. The 2016 Rockland County AOH Hibernian of the Year is Neil Cosgrove; and Margie Mulvihill was named 2016 Hibernian Businesswoman of the Year.

A message from Ancient Order of Hibernian’s Men’s County Board President James Russell and Ladies’ Ancient Order of Hibernian County Board President Joan Moore

For the past 53 years, the men and women of the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians have been pleased to host their annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, an event that has become a Rockland County institution. The parade celebrates our pride in our Irish heritage, and we take equal pride in it also being an event that has brought in spectators from around the world, state, county, etc., and an opportunity to bring families and friends together in a day of wholesome recognition and celebration of the contributions of Irish Americans to our community and country. An event such as the Rockland County St. Patrick’s Day Parade which draws tens of thousands of people would be impossible without the hospitality of the Town of Orangetown, the hamlet of Pearl River and the professionalism of its first responders, particularly the Orangetown Police department, who provide a friendly and safe environment for the day’s proceedings. One of the oldest Irish values is the custom of hospitality and the obligation of courtesy and respect that is incumbent on a guest to their host. In keeping with the spirit of the day and the celebration of our heritage, the Parade Committee asks all participants and spectators to honor this venerable Irish tradition and show the proper courtesy and respect to the businesses of Pearl River and to comply with all directions of the Orangetown Police Department, particularly observing regulations on parking and open containers. The Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians ask that all participants remember the true meaning of the day: to celebrate St. Patrick and the generations of Irish Americans who have dedicated and sacrificed themselves for America and not be part of the trivialization of the holiday into the “St. Patty’s Day” image of T-shirt makers and other 21st Century “Know Nothings” whose only respect of “the green” is the “the green of the till”. Keeping the parade the joyous yet dignified and responsible celebration that the day deserves will help ensure that we can keep this great tradition alive for years to come.