BOSTON THE TRIP TO

A group of DFB members went Stateside and Received a Great St Patrick’s Day Welcome, FF/P Stephen O’Reilly tells Adam Hyland

While Dublin Fire Brigade members play a central part in the St Patrick’s Day festivities in our own city, others have taken to the skies to celebrate in other cities across the globe, and this year saw a group y to Boston to take in a particularly Irish welcome. e group of 18 was made up predominantly by FF/Ps at D Watch Dolphin’s Barn, but also included members from HQ, Rathfarnham and Tallaght. “As with many good things, the idea came out of us sitting in the pub one evening, but also from sitting in the re station and talking, and we were saying there hadn’t been a trip to Boston since before COVID-19,” FF/P Stephen O’Reilly tells me. “So, we thought it would be something worthwhile to do, especially because they have a very big St Patrick’s Day Parade over there. We’d also heard good things about

Boston, so it all fell into place as we talked.” Planning the trip was “a group e ort” he says, with key organisers including Mark FitzHarris, Joe Fallon and himself, but with several others playing roles from logistics organisation to designing a special logo for the trip.

Demographic

“ ere was a good mix of ages represented, going from members in their 20s to their 60s, some who had been in the job 20 years and others who were only in two years and were on their rst DFB trip away, so there was a wide range of experience and

BOSTON BEING BOSTON, ONCE THEY HEARD WE WERE OVER AS A DFB GROUP, A FEW CALLS WERE MADE, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE WERE IN THE PARADE” knowledge, and di erent ranks. We had our Sub-O cer Tony McLean with us, as well as ‘our mascot’ retired member Tadgh Fallon, whose two sons were also with us. For those on their rst trip, it was a great experience to march in the parade over there, but it was great for all of us.”

Itinerary

Arriving in Boston the day before St Patrick’s Day, a fast-track journey through immigration was followed by a welcome with photo op featuring Irish and US ags, and because in Boston the Parade happens on the Sunday, the group went on the Whitey Bulger Crime Tour of South Boston on St Patrick’s Day. ey stayed in the wellknown Omni Parker Hotel in the nancial district just beside Boston Common, where both Ho Chi Minh and Malcom X had worked in their youth, and where numerous famous American authors and artists have taken up residence over the last two centuries.

“It was a lovely spot,” FF/P O’Reilly tells me. “Apart from the many famous guests, Bill Clinton got engaged and had his stag party there, so it was a well-known place.” ey watched the Six Nations nale on the Saturday, before Sunday saw the big day unfold, and in terms of marching in the parade, FF/P O’Reilly says it came about through unconventional means.

“We had reached out to a few Boston

Fire Chiefs about being part of the Parade over there, but hadn’t heard back,” he says, “so what happened was that we picked a pub run by some Irish people called e Dubliner – actually a chain of pubs they own – to gather in every day, and Boston being Boston, once they heard we were over as a DFB group, a few calls were made, the owner rang a friend who rang a friend, and all of a sudden we were in the Parade.

“One of the group, Darren Donovan, said we should bring our full uniform with us just in case, and we were glad we did.” is led to an experience they would never forget.

Parade

“ e Boston parade is like the Dublin Parade taken to the extreme,” he tells me. “ e intensity, the crowds, was like nothing I have ever seen before. We were halfway through the parade and we asked a police o cer how long was le , and he just said you haven’t seen anything yet. We turned the corner and it was just unreal, the crowds were amazing and people were inviting us into their homes to use their restrooms, throwing drinks to us from roo ops, screaming from the very start to the end, it was intense. It was more like Mardi Gras!

also got to meet some of the dignitaries who were there, some Irish TDs and Senators, which added to the occasion.”

By chance, they also got to meet rising music star Dermot Kennedy, with a sel e they took bringing a lot of social media attention to the trip.

“ e Dubliner pub looked a er us very well,” FF/P O’Reilly says, “and they told us Dermot was coming in for a small gig. One of our group happens to know Dermot very well, so we got an invite for a closed-doors gig and were given a special area. When Dermot came in he was told to stand in a certain spot, but he said no, he wanted to stand with us, so he joined our group and played a few tunes, so that was a great memory to take home with us.

“ e Dubliner said they would look a er any group of DFB members if they go over for another visit, so that’s a nice contact to have for the future!”

Thanks

FF/P O’Reilly is quick to thank the people of Boston for showing them such a great welcome and enthusiasm, as well as the sta and owners of e Dubliner – Oran McGonagle, Will McCarthy and Aidan McGee, the Boston PD who helped out with ad hoc journeys, Boston FD, and the DFBSSC for providing support for the trip.

“We got such a great welcome and they were so appreciative that we had chosen to go to Boston when we have our own St Patrick’s Parade at home. We couldn’t have gotten a better welcome. ey were thrilled to have a real Irish Fire Service there. We The welcome was amazing

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