West Island well represented for St. Patty’s

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

The West Island will be well represented at this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16 with two locals taking top positions in this Montreal institution.

Dorval resident Briana Yerbury, 19, was crowned this year’s parade queen by the United Irish Society of Montreal and said every day leading up to the parade is more exciting than the last.

“Every single event that we attend before the parade is like a build-up. It’s this huge anticipation,” she said. “We really get to be part of something that has such a history in Montreal, and Canada, and even the world.”

As parade queen, Yerbury and her court of four princesses have a host of events to attend, which included raising the Irish Community Flag at Place Ville Marie last month. A first-year political science and history and philosophy of science student at McGill University, Yerbury will be busy over the next few weeks with a very packed schedule.

“But, I’ve always been busy. I’ve always been involved with a lot of sports and activities. It’s about time management for me, so I’ll just be watching a little less TV,” said Yerbury, an avid rugby player. “I’m also looking forward to the St. Patrick’s Society ball. It’s not often I get to attend formal events. I’m a bit of a jock, so I’m not the type to get dressed up very often.”

Yerbury has never been to Ireland, but she said she is looking forward to making the trip she won as queen of the parade this summer.

Kirkland Mayor John Meaney is going to have to do a little bit more walking in this year’s parade. Instead of staying with the Kirkland float the town has entered in the parade for years, Meaney will lead the procession as the parade’s grand marshal.

“I’ll be the guy with the green sash, the gloves, the top hat, and everything. And I’ve made sure the weather’s going to be nice,” Meaney said, laughing, and remembering last year’s sub-zero temperatures. He said he still couldn’t believe the United Irish Society chose him for the position.

“It was the first time in my life I didn’t know what to say,” Meaney said, adding he remembered walking in the parade when he was a student at St. Dominic’s in Montreal. “The only thing I could say was ‘just a minute,’ and I handed the phone to my wife. I was totally shocked they would choose me.”

Meaney will also be quite busy with St. Patrick’s related events over the next few weeks, such as the annual reception for the queen and her court held Sunday in Kirkland. For him, the parade is really what tops the Irish celebrations off.

“If you’re walking down St. Catherine’s on the day of the parade and you look at the crowd, it must represent every ethnic community in the world – on both sides of St. Catherine Street,” he said. “That is, I think, the greatest compliment, not only to Montreal but to the Irish community, that you’re able to, in God knows what kind of weather, bring a bunch of people out to watch a bunch of Irishmen walking down the street.”

The 2008 St. Patrick’s Day parade will be held on March 16 and will kick off at 12 p.m. at the corner of Fort and St. Catherine Streets.