St. Patrick's Day parade to move from Ste-Catherine St. after 55 years

After more than 55 years on Ste-Catherine Street, Montreal's annual St. Patrick's Day parade will progress along de Maisonneuve Boulevard this year.

It's being moved from Ste-Catherine Streetthanks to a four-year marathon roadwork project aimed at revitalizing the strip and replacing the outdated sewage system that runs beneath it.

The parade, in its 195th year, is taking place on Sunday, March 18 this year.

According to Ken Quinn of the United Irish Societiesof Montreal, the organization fully intends to take the parade back to Ste-Catherine after the construction glut subsides.

"You get used to doing the same thing the same way every year," Quinn said, adding that the setup on Ste-Catherine is easy.

"We also like our traditions."

Changes underway

Attendees can expect some other big changes: the parade will move from east to west along de Maisonneuve, starting at City Councillors Street. It will end at the intersection of MacKay Street and Ren-Lvesque Boulevard.

Quinn encouraged attendees to take public transit to get to the parade, as Guy-Concordia, Peel, McGill and Place-des-ArtsMetro stations are located directly along the parade route.

The community reaction has been generally been positive, said Quinn.

"We do understand the reservations that people have," he said. "Whole families have the ritual of meeting at certain street corners on parade day, which will have to change now."

"It's a legitimate concern for these people."

Still, this isn't the first time the parade has seen change. Before its 55-year stint on Ste-Catherine, the parade meandered to different locations, including Sherbrooke Street.

"The parade would start and end at different parishes depending on the year," Quinn said.

This changed with the decline of the influence of the Catholic Church, and the parade becoming an event for all Montrealers, he added.

"We hope to see Montrealers come out in great numbers on March 18 to celebrate the coming of spring," Quinn said.