Jay Burke, chairman of the Tybee Island St. Patrick’s Day Irish Heritage Committee, talks about founding and running the Tybee Island Irish Heritage Parade, with the 24th parade planned for 2027 on the Saturday before Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Burke explains how the parade began from a challenge, his goal to start Tybee’s tourist season earlier, and how volunteers, the Marine Rescue Squadron, Savannah parade adjutants, and the City of Tybee support logistics, safety, and food for kids and bands.
Learn more about the topics, voices and music in this episode:
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Theme Music: "Tybee Where the Georgia Peaches Go"
This rendition of the 1926 song by Samuel B. Miller, originally sung by Dewey Holm and His Savannahians on Tybrisa Pavilion, was rerecorded by Turner Horton, TV and Film Composer for the “Tybee Remembers When” podcast in 2024.
Tap HERE for images of the original sheet music from the archives
All recordings in this podcast are the thoughts and opinions of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Tybee Island Historical Society. Oral histories are, by nature, subjective accounts and should not be taken as unbiased fact without further verification.
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Podcast Introduction
00:41 Meet Jay Burke
01:12 Parade Committee Basics
02:46 How It All Started
08:54 Keeping It Community
11:43 Growth And Safety
15:25 Food And Volunteers
16:35 Burke Family Roots
20:00 McElwees And DeSoto Days
23:53 North End Childhood
25:02 Tybee Changes Over Time
28:43 Irish Catholic Community
30:50 Work Life And City Growth
33:45 Island Faith Community
35:06 What Makes Tybee
36:25 Parade Family Tradition
38:00 Safety And Barricades
40:24 Launching Tybee Parade
42:45 Keeping It Small
44:44 Partners And Bands
47:27 Curveballs And Conflicts
53:05 Challenges And Committee
57:18 Teaching Irish History
01:01:13 Biggest Successes
01:04:09 Passing The Torch