St. Patrick's Day Parade
Past Parade Dignitaries

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