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