Irish Historical Geographer Named Grand Marshall For 26th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade
/With the 26th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade set for March 15 at 2 p.m. in Downtown Peterborough, Irish historial geographer Christy Roche has been named this year’s grand marshall, announced at the Jack McGee Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership on Monday afternoon.
Brendan Moher, Peterborough Canadian Irish Club (left) and Tim Burke, St. Patrick’s Day Parade organizer (right) with Christy Roche on a FaceTime call to address the public with Roche’s book, “From Whence They Came: The Peter Robinson Settlers.” Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Roche was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1944. He was educated at Grange National School, Fermoy CBS and University College Cork, from where he graduated with a degree in historical geography. He has written about the Peter Robinson immigrant families for the past 35 years.
Roche has given talks in Europe, Canada, the United States, Central America and has contributed historical articles to local newspapers and magazınes. Roche has written and edited several books, including “The Ford of the Apples,” “A Glimpse of Grange” and “From Whence They Came: The Peter Robinson Settlers.”
Members of Nine Ships 1825 suggested Roche to the parade organizer, Tim Burke, who immediately was on board with the recommendation. Selecting Roche continues to ride on the success of last year’s event, which celebrated the 200th anniversary of Peter Robinson, who supervised the emigration of impoverished Irish families to Upper Canada said Burke.
“He’s about as authentic as you can possibly get,” he explained. “We wanted to continue with the momentum they’ve (Nine Ships 1825) created, featuring our Irish heritage, as well as everything Peterborough has to offer.”
The parade is operating in its 26th year, a project Burke wants to continue, as Peterborough is rich in Irish heritage and he believes a parade like this does not exist until you get to around the Toronto area.
“I want to continue building the St. Patrick's Day Parade,” he said. “It's a tradition in Peterborough and it's part of our fabric.”
@ptbo_canada Historical geographer Christy Roche is this year’s Grand Marshall for Peterborough’s 2026 St. Patrick’s Day parade! #ptbocanada #journalism #news #fyp #stpatricksday ♬ Irish Dance - Lofi Danny
