Local Resident Invited to New York City for Parade

Colville resident Kelly Graham’s Irish heritage granted him an invitation to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City on March 17.

According to Graham, his third-great-grandmother was Rosanna Monaghan, who was born in 1838 in Newbliss, County Monaghan, Ireland. Monaghan married Thomas Graham and went on to have eight children. Graham said Monaghan’s brother, James Monaghan, financed the family’s travel to Colville in 1878 to help operate the trading posts he owned. There, the Graham family settled. Patrick Graham, Kelly Graham’s grandfather, was one of the first Stevens County commissioners and former owner-publisher of the Statesman-Examiner. 

Graham takes pride in his family history and his Irish roots. After he learned about New York City’s Monaghan Society, he contacted them about joining the group. He said they did a background check to verify his heritage and he was invited to march with them in the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. His daughter, Kate Graham, a Brooklyn resident, joined him. The morning of the parade, Graham said the weather was a cold 38 degrees with 15-20 mile per hour winds. In the hotel’s elevator, Graham met Father Henry of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, who was on his way to mass. Graham said he and Kate later went to the cathedral to light a candle for his mother. 

Once they arrived at the parade, they met up with other Monaghan Society members, roughly 75 members, and were donned in sashes. Many other Irish family societies were also marching in the parade, such as the Limericks and Connellys. And, of course, there were bagpipes. The parade began at 11 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m., Graham said they walked approximately one-and-a-half miles down 5^th Avenue, ending halfway along Central Park. 

Graham said there were roughly 150,000 participants in the parade, and approximately two million people in attendance. “It was a wonderful experience,” Graham said, adding that he enjoyed meeting other members of the Monaghan family from across the country. One of his favorite people he met was a woman named Maggie, who organized the Monaghan Society members, keeping their rows tight as they marched. “She reminded me of my Aunt Nora (Maxfield) who taught at Northport,” he reminisced. 

When asked if he would participate in the parade again, Graham said, “Absolutely.” And in terms of travel back to his home country, Graham said it’s “on my list” to visit Monaghan County in Ireland.