The Trenton Irish Heritage Association announced who would lead the 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade
TRENTON -- The sounds of a bagpipe and Irish folk tunes filled City Hall Friday as the Trenton Irish Heritage Association announced who would lead the 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The entire Joe Cahill Division 10 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was named as the grand marshal.
"The goal of the Trenton Irish Heritage Association is to preserve Irish heritage in the Trenton area and no one does that better than Division 10," chairman Dennis Keenan said.
The division was founded by, among others, "Irish Billy" Briggs, who was instrumental in bringing the parade to Trenton 31 years ago following a 100-year-plus absence.
Among the group's programs are the Gael Scoil, which is held each year at Notre Dame High School to immerse young people in Ireland's culture and history, and the Billy Briggs Memorial Scholarship, which sends teens to Ireland for a three-week summer program.
The 31st annual parade will be held on March 13. The parade committee has again turned to the online fundraising site Indiegogo to help them offset the rising costs of city services and bands. They need to raise about $30,000, Keenan said.
"We're on our way, but we're not there yet," he said.
Grand marshals have also been named for the Hamilton and Robbinsville parades.
First Bank CEO and President Patrick Liam Ryan will lead Hamilton's parade on March 12 and in Robbinsville, members of the BAPS Hindu community will lead the March 19 parade.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.