St Mary’s Brass & Reed Band March with Pride in NYC

Landing into New York JFK on a snowy, windy Tuesday afternoon, I’m sure we were all thinking the same thing: “Packing the thermals and the band gloves was a good idea!”. Little did we realise that we would not need them at all during our time in New York.

Back in 2019 when we received an invite from the Cavan P&B Association to lead them up Fifth Avenue in 2023 as they celebrated their 175th anniversary, did we ever imagine how quickly the day would come around, especially which such a large group - made up of Band and Committee members, family and friends, totalling a remarkable 105 people.

All who travelled had time to explore the amazing sights that New York has to offer - from the Brooklyn Bridge, to The World Trade Centre, Ellis Island, Wall Street and Times Square. Some took in a show on Broadway and went ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre, while others enjoyed watching a basketball match at the Barclays Centre, shopping in Jersey Gardens or having a quiet cup of tea at Macy’s - we experienced it all.

Although for the majority of our band this was their first time to experience travelling to New York and playing in the St Patrick’s Day Parade, we also had four members travelling with us who participated in the previous two trips to New York in 1997 and 2004, which just proves that, with music and being part of a fantastic group, there are no age limits.

Wednesday, March 15th:

To make the first official engagement of our trip, we were treated to a New York Police Department escort, complete with police dogs, via the New York Subway from our hotel on Lexington Avenue out to Woodside in Queens. On arrival, we were greeted by members of the Cavan Association at the St Sebastian Parish Centre where all enjoyed a cead míle fáilte and hospitality at its finest with amazing food and the chance to get reacquainted with some Kingscourt and Cavan expats who have made New York their home. Following on from this, we headed over to the St Sebastian Parish Church where the Band performed at a gala concert, showcasing both the Band and the Percussion Section, as well as some amazing local American talent who impressed with additional music and song. After our official ‘Thank You’ presentations to members of the Cavan P&B Association, we departed Woodside with our NYPD colleagues back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Thursday, March 16th:

With beautiful blue skies and sunshine, we headed to the Headquarters of the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan. On arrival, we were met by members of the Irish United Nations team and were guided through airport style security, along with an instrument inspection. While at the UN facility, we performed a varied music programme to all amassed outside the UN Building who enjoyed the music while basking in the sun, including the Irish Ambassador to the United Nations, Fergal Mythen, as well as members of the Irish mission in New York and former UN peacekeepers from Co Cavan who had also travelled over to be part of the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Following the recital, Musical Director, Gavin Warren presented both Ambassador Mythen and Donal Kenneally, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN with a token on behalf of the band for enabling our visit. To finish off the experience, members availed of a tour of the UN buildings and the UN General Assembly Hall that we so regularly see on television back home.

Friday March 17th:

In the blink of an eye, the day everyone had been waiting for finally arrived. Some early risers had the opportunity to attend morning mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. After a brisk walk lead by our unofficial tour guide, Hugh Callaghan, we arrived outside the Bryant Hotel where all our instruments and equipment were waiting for us under the ever-watchful eye of Dr James Lynch from the Cavan Association. We gathered our instruments and headed to our set up position on East 47th Street, with much anticipation and excitement hanging in the air.

Again we were truly blessed with beautiful weather. With the sun shining and the sounds of the various pipe bands warming up, we were ready for the off. Taking in the ambiance, you truly realise the magnitude and size of New York as we were dwarfed by high rise buildings, as well as the constant, screaming sirens from emergency services. While waiting, we performed a number of pieces under the guidance of our assistant conductor Mr Shane Smith. We delighted the bystanders and passers-by with arrangements of ‘Blinding Lights’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Soul Bossa Nova’, all of which were much appreciated by all.

Then we were off, with our committee members upfront at the helm, we turned left onto the world famous Fifth Avenue, all while under the watchful eye of Gavin Warren. We marched with pride as we led the Cavan P&B Association, former UN Peacekeepers from Cavan, along with our travelling group, all parading to the sound of our well-rehearsed Irish marches and to the beat of our percussion section drum routines whilst in perfect step. With a marching band of 56 members, it was an immensely proud and momentous occasion for all involved. The months of band rehearsals, marching practices and planning had brought us to this moment and all will agree that it was worth every second. Being a part of the 150,000 parading on the day, with the route lined by up to two million cheering people was the honour of a lifetime, as we marched to the beat and played our Irish music repertoire. The day was made extra special as we passed by so many iconic sights and buildings as we marched including St Patrick’s Cathedral and Central Park.

Another added bonus was 2023 being the first year that the Parade was streamed live internationally, as well as being broadcast live on American Television. This gave our friends and families in both Ireland and beyond an insight into the experience and it was fantastic to get messages from all back home including well wishes and photos and videos of the band as we marched on Fifth Avenue.

Saturday March 18th:

Before we knew it, the final band engagement of the trip was upon us. However, the amazing experiences continued as we got to travel to Yonkers, Westchester on the iconic ‘Yellow School Buses’ made famous by countless television programmes. We had been invited to Yonkers to participate in their annual St Patrick’s Day Parade, marching up McLean Avenue. Again, we were blessed with the fantastic weather, and once again, crowds lined the streets to cheer on, support and encourage all those who were marching in the parade. We had the privilege of leading the Cavan P&B Association and all their members and friends for the final time of our trip.

To top off an amazing and memorable week, we were awarded the LAOH Award for ‘Best Marching Band’ at the parade, which was a fantastic accolade considering we were one of over 20 bands who participated on the day. As always, after the parade we were so well looked after by the Cavan Association with refreshments for all. Finally after goodbyes to our hosts and a few faces from Kingscourt, we boarded the buses and returned to our hotel while getting an excellent guided tour by Dr James Lynch on route.

Sincere thanks

To achieve something as amazing as our trip to New York would not have been possible without the support, commitment and guidance from our friends in New York - Michael O’Reilly, Dr James Lynch, Fiona Smyth, Joe & Catherine Gargan, Anthony Charles, Aisling Sheridan, PJ & Kit Smith, Patrick Rudden, Paul Smith to name but a few. This trip would never have been made a possibility without all of their valued support and fundraising efforts State-Side.

Back home in Kingscourt we also made huge strides with our fundraising efforts, which included our Virtual Cycle Event, Quiz Sheets, Envelope Fundraiser, Country Music Night, Pub Quiz, Christmas ‘Shop Local - Support Local’ Raffle and our GoFundMe page. Thank you to all for supporting these events with prizes, sponsorship and donations. To all retail outlets and publicans who allow us to sell our weekly lotto, to our Bingo supporters, to our members and committee - thank you all.

We are also truly indebted to the very kind generosity from businesses within Kingscourt and County Cavan, as well as further afield who came on board to ensure that our members and committee could experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to march down Fifth Avenue on St Patrick’s Day.