St. Patrick's Day Parades: Tradition or American Invention?
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 11 March 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On March 17th, thousands of St. Patrick's Day Parades take place across the globe. New York's parade, dating back to the 1760s, draws three million people and reinforces the stereotype that the parade is an American invention. Yet parades have been taking place since at least the early 17th century. The real origins of St. Patrick's Day Parade are far more complicated, and far more contentious, than anyone imagines.
In this episode, originally released on Transatlantic, the Irish American history podcast I make with Damian Shiels, we explore this history with Dr. Cian T. McMahon from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Cian challenges the myths surrounding the parade's origins and reveals how it became one of the world's most contested cultural events. He examines how it reflects the constantly changing nature of Irish identity and explores how women and LGBTQ+ activists fought for the right to participate in a celebration that was often fiercely controlled.
Cian T. McMahon is Professor of History at the Department of History and Honors College at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He was the co-editor of The Routledge History of Irish America and is the author The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine and The Global Dimensions of Irish Identity: Race, Nation and the Popular Press, 1840-1880.
Note from Fin: I have updated this episode since it was first published to correct a mistake in the original version. In the intro, I mistakenly referred to the LGBT community as the "LGB community", omitting the T. I understand that this term is often used in a way that denigrates the trans community. That was entirely unintended on my part, and I am very sorry.
Sound by Kate Dunlea.
Listen to American Emigrants in Irish Folklore on Transatlantic, An Irish American History Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/transatlantic/episodes/37-memories-of-home
Support the show: Patreon.com/irishpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On March 17th, Dublin is going to host one of Ireland's largest ever St. Patrick's Day parades, |
| 0:11.1 | with an expected half a million people lining the streets of the capital to watch the event. |
| 0:15.9 | However, it'll be dwarfed by the New York paradeade where an expected 3 million people would attend. |
| 0:22.0 | Indeed, the history of the New York Parade stretches back centuries to the 1760s, |
| 0:27.3 | reinforcing the very common assumption that the St. Patrick's Day Parade itself |
| 0:31.6 | is actually an American invention created by Irish immigrants in the United States. |
| 0:40.5 | However, that's not accurate, and as you're about to hear in this episode, the real history is nothing like you might expect. |
| 0:49.2 | Hello and welcome to the Irish history podcast. My name is Finn Duar. Now today's episode on the |
| 0:55.1 | history of the St. Patrick's Day Parade was actually released on Transatlantic, a podcast I make on |
| 1:01.0 | Irish American history with Damien Shields. Now with Damien's permission, I've shared this |
| 1:06.5 | episode here because it's an absolutely fascinating topic that I know you'll find interesting. |
| 1:12.2 | It debunks a lot of the popular misconceptions around the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Indeed, |
| 1:17.3 | we not only explore the origins of the parade itself, but also some of the controversies around |
| 1:22.0 | it that have seen some Irish people from women to the LGBT community struggle to be included in the event. |
| 1:28.9 | Now the guest on the show is Dr. Kean McMahon and in typically Irish fashion, |
| 1:33.4 | turns out that Keene and I, despite living on opposite sides of the globe, have cousins in common. |
| 1:38.3 | But Kean is a historian working in the University of Nevada in Las Vegas |
| 1:42.2 | and has focused a lot of his work |
| 1:44.2 | on the history of the Irish overseas. |
| 1:46.6 | He was previously on the show about four years ago |
| 1:48.9 | talking about coffin ships. |
| 1:50.9 | And in this episode, he gives you a sneak preview |
... |
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