St. Patrick's Day Parade
Past Parade Dignitaries
Throughout our [paradecurrent#]+ year history, we have been fortunate to have had many important local and Irish individuals as honored guests of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The title following each individual’s name was current in the year in which they were honored.
Irish Guests of Honor
| 1971 | Patrick Walsh – Irish Consul General, Chicago |
| 1972 | Marie-Louise O’Donnell – Member of the Irish Senate |
| 1973 | Erskine Childers TD – Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) |
| 1974 | Michéal Ó hUiginn – Mayor of Galway |
| 1975 | Martin Keaveney – Mayor of Sligo |
| 1976 | Richard Burke TD – Minister of Education |
| 1977 | Eddie Collins – Mayor of Waterford |
| 1978 | Jerry Colgan – Mayor of Galway |
| 1979 | Joseph Malone – Director of Irish Tourist Board |
| 1980 | Thomas Hussey TD – Minister of Agriculture |
| 1981 | Maire Geoghegan-Quinn TD – Minister of Gaeltacht |
| 1982 | Dr Colm O hEocha – President of University College, Galway |
| 1983 | Peter Sutherland SC – Attorney General of Ireland |
| 1984 | Paddy O’Toole TD – Minister of Fisheries, Forest, Gaeltacht |
| 1985 | John F. Donnellan TD – Minister of Post and Telegraph |
| 1986 | Paudie O’Connor – Mayor of Killarney |
| 1987 | Michael Noonan TD – Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce |
| 1988 | David Kennedy – Chairman of Aer Lingus |
| 1989 | Maire Geoghegan-Quinn TD – Minister of Dept of Taoiseach |
| 1990 | Ben Briscoe TD – Lord Mayor of Dublin |
| 1991 | Howard E. Kilroy – President & COD of Jefferson Smurfit Group |
| 1992 | John Bruton TD – Leader of Finn Gael Party |
| 1993 | Michael J. Woods TD – Minister of the Marine |
| 1994 | Seamus Brennan TD – Minister of State for Commerce & Technology |
| 1995 | John Hume MP, MEP – Leader of Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| 1996 | Paddy Harte TD – Member of Dial Eireann |
| Dermot Gleeson SC – Attorney General of Ireland | |
| 1997 | John Mulholland – Mayor of Galway |
| 1998 | Dr. James McDaid TD – Minister of Tourism, Sports and Recreation |
| 1999 | Ned O’Keeffe TD – Minister of State for Food and Horticulture |
| 2000 | Ned O’Keeffe TD – Minister of State for Food and Horticulture |
| 2001 | Sean McEnife – Chairman of Northwest Tourism |
| 2002 | Mark Durkan MLA, MP – Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland |
| 2003 | Batt O’Keeffe TD – M.C.C. Cork County Council |
| 2004 | Dr. Iognaid G O Muircheartaigh – President, National University of Ireland, Galway |
| 2005 | Dr. Rory O’Hanlon TD – Chairman of Dail Eireann (Speaker of Parliament) |
| 2006 | Tom Parlon TD – Minister of State for Public Works |
| 2007 | Billy Cameron – Deputy Mayor of Galway |
| Mary Bennett – Chair of Galway/St. Louis Sister Cities Committee | |
| 2008 | Michael Gibbons – Principal of Coláiste Ailigh School, Letterkenny, Ireland |
| Noel Ahern TD – Minister of State for Public Works | |
| 2009 | Bertie Ahern TD – Former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) |
| 2010 | Labhras O Murchu – Member of Seanad Eireann (Irish Senate) |
| 2011 | Dinny McGinley – Member of the Irish Parliament for Donegal |
| 2012 | Mark Daly – Member of the Irish Senate |
| 2013 | Marie-Louise O’Donnell – Member of the Irish Senate |
| 2014 | Charles Flanagan – Member of the Irish Senate (Laois/Offaly) |
| 2015 | Paudie Coffey – Minister of State, Department of the Environment |
| 2016 | Keith Finnegan – Chief Executive Galway Bay FM Radio |
| 2017 | Mary Mitchell O’Connor – Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovations in the Irish Parliament |
| 2018 | Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee – Spokesperson on Justice, Children and Youth Affairs |
| 2019 | Senator Aidan Davitt, Fianna Fáil representative to the Industrial and Commercial Panel |
| 2020 | Parade Cancelled Due to Covid |
| 2021 | Virtual Parade |
| 2022 | Pat Casey – Retired Member of the Irish Senate |
| 2023 | Senator Fiona O’Loughlin – Chair of the Oireachtas Women’s Caucus |
| 2024 | Patrick O’Donovan – Minister of State, Department of Public Works & the Gaeltacht |
Honorary Parade Marshals
| 1983 | Dennis P. Long – President of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. |
| 1984 | Most Reverend Edward J. O’Donnell – Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis |
| 1985 | James B. Malloy – President & COO of Jefferson Smurfit Corporation |
| 1986 | Patrick Donelan – President of Investment Counselors |
| 1987 | Michael Shanahan, Sr. – President of Engineered Air Systems, Inc. |
| 1988 | Patrick J. Gilligan – President of Valley Industries, Inc. |
| 1989 | Michael J. Roarty – Executive Vice President of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. |
| 1990 | John G. Walsh – President of St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission |
| 1991 | Jack Buck – Sports Director of KMOX/CBS Radio |
| 1992 | Martin L. Duggan – Host and Producer of Donnybrook television program |
| 1993 | Blanche M. Touhill – Chancellor of University of Missouri – St. Louis |
| 1994 | Joseph B. McGlynn, Jr – Honorary Consul for the Republic of Ireland |
| 1995 | Helen and Dr. Patrick Gannon – St. Louis Irish Arts |
| 1996 | Most Reverend Justin Rigali – Archbishop of St. Louis |
| 1997 | Rev. Mr. Robert A. Brooks – Chairman of Brooks Fiber Properties |
| 1998 | Rev. William Barnaby Faherty, SJ – Jesuit Priest, Professor, and Author |
| 1999 | Dick Ford – KTVI-TV Fox 2 News Anchor |
| 2000 | Honorable James J. Eagan – Mayor of the City of Florissant |
| 2001 | Jim Hanifan – Offensive Line Coach of St. Louis Rams |
| 2002 | Dennis C. Golden – President of Fontbonne College |
| 2003 | Stephen J. Burrows – President and COO of Anheuser-Busch International, Inc |
| 2004 | Patrick J. Finneran, Jr. – VP & General Mgr, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems |
| 2005 | Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke – Archbishop of St. Louis |
| 2006 | Charles L. Drury – Chairman of Drury Development Corporation |
| 2007 | Dan Buck – CEO of St. Patrick Center |
| 2008 | Joseph F. Shaughnessy, Jr – Chairman of BSI Constructors |
| 2009 | Billy Devaney – Executive Vice President/General Manager of St. Louis Rams |
| 2010 | Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson – Archbishop of St. Louis |
| 2011 | Charles P. Gallagher, Sr. – Chairman of United Industries |
| 2012 | Robert F. O’Loughlin – Chairman and CEO, Lodging Hospitality Management |
| 2013 | Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson – President, Missouri Botantical Garden |
| 2014 | Dennis M Reagan – President and CEO of The Muny |
| 2015 | Charlie Brennan – KMOX – Host of the Charlie Brennan Show |
| 2016 | Sr. Rosario Delaney – Holy Infant Parish and School communities |
| Sr. Laurentia Cusack – Holy Infant Parish and School communities | |
| 2017 | John Saunders – FleishmanHillard – President and Chief Executive Officer |
| 2018 | Stephen J. Conway – St. Louis City Assessor |
| 2019 | Kevin Short, Managing Partner and CEO of Clayton Capital Partners |
| 2020 | Parade Cancelled due to Covid |
| 2021 | Virtual Parade |
| 2022 | St. Louis City Fire Chief Dennis M. Jenkerson |
| 2023 | Patrick Murphy – American television producer for the Nine Network of Public Media |
| 2024 | St. Louis Police Chief – Commissioner Robert Tracy |
Military Guests of Honor
| 1990 | BRIGADIER GENERAL PATRICK P. CARUANA — Commander, 42nd Air Division, Strategic Air Command |
| 1991 | VICE ADMIRAL PAUL D. BUTCHER — Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Transportation Command |
| 1992 | BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS J. KILMARTIN — Commander, Army Reserve Personnel Center |
| 2005 | MAJOR CHRISTOPHER R. BENOIT — U.S. Army |
| 2012 | SERGEANT MAJOR JAMES E. SCHULTE — State Command, Missouri Army National Guard |
| 2018 | Major General Kent D. Savre — Commander, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood |
| 2019 | Brigadier General Brian R. Bisacre |
| 2023 | Major General James Bonner, U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood Commanding General |
| 2023 | Colonel Joseph C. “Clete” Goetz II, U.S. Army Engineer School Commandant |
| 2024 | Colonel W. Maria Bochat, 33rd US Army Chief of Chemical & Commandant of US Army CBRN School |