A look at Milton’s inaugural St. Patrick’s Day parade

This week we’re traveling back to the spring of 2008. On March 16 of that year, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on the streets of Milton. Founded by Irish Eyes co-owners Jim Kiernan and Tom Jones, the event was slow out of the gate, as the inaugural parade drew only 25 entries. Leading up to the parade, shamrocks were sold at Irish Eyes three restaurants (they had a Rehoboth Beach location at the time) to raise money for Casa San Francisco. The parade is bigger and better than ever 14 years later. This year’s event, held March 13, drew thousands of people to downtown Milton. The parade featured the usually array of politicians, nonprofit groups, classic cars and of course fire trucks. Kiernan died in 2018, but the parade he helped create continues to live on and will likely live on for years to come.