Salt Lake is filled with myth and magic

SALT LAKE CITY — Bagpipe music filled the air as thousands of people and dogs dressed in green lined the street along 400 West through the Gateway shopping center for the 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade March 17.

The day was perfect with a blue sky and a temperature near 70 for Irish clans, and those who are only Irish for the day to celebrate this year’s theme "Ireland, Land of Myth and Magic." The day was magic as tiny cars, Irish step dancers, horse-drawn carriages, and Catholic school floats and students made their way down the parade route.

El Kalah Shrine was this year’s Grand Marshal. Larry Fielden, potentate or president, said the Shrine is a fraternal organization, part of the Masonic Temple. That means in order to be a Shriner you have to be a master mason, which involves a three-step process.

"The Shrine historically started as a social extension of the Masonic organizations," said Fielden. "Early in their history they decided to do something besides just have fun and began awarding funds to local charities and disaster relief organizations. The Shrine became involved in providing hospitals with funds for the treatment of polio.

"Over the years that evolved into two orthopedic specialty hospitals for children," said Fielden. "One is for children with orthopedic maladies and the other for burn victims. Once a child is admitted into a Shriner Hospital, he or she is admitted at no cost to his or her family or their insurance company. We have 22 hospitals throughout the United States, including one in Salt Lake City. Those hospitals are supported entirely by contributions, endowments, and fund raisers.

"The cost is absorbed totally by the Shriners through outside fund raisers and efforts of the Shriners," said Fielden. "Our Shrine’s motto in Salt Lake City is, ‘Having fun and helping kids.’"

Riding down the parade route in a horse-drawn carriage were musicians Jim Ryan and his clan from Jim O’ the Mills, a farmhouse tavern near Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland. Jim Ryan is a childhood friend of Hibernian Society President Father Patrick Carley, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, West Jordan.

"Fr. Carley invited us to come to this celebration," said Ryan. We couldn’t be having a better time."

People packed the Hellenic Center following the parade for the Siamsa celebration where they enjoyed Irish music, Irish step dancing, Irish stew, and corned beef and cabbage.