COVER STORY

TYBEE IS…
An Irish Heritage
Celebration Parade!
by: Michael D. Sullivan

It Happened One Night at the Quarter.
Not with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable.
More like Jay Burke and Frank Hyre.

Huh?

After hearing their big, hairy idea, Tommy Barlow admits to telling the lads they were nuts.
Turns out these Tybee guys may be remembered as visionaries.
That’s visionaries with an action plan to create and stage the first annual Tybee Island Irish Heritage Celebration Parade on March 15th, 2003.

It’s happening despite the odds…and the Ides.

“We are doing it to appreciate our Irish heritage,” says Jay. He wants to build this initial Clan Day into a tradition saying Tybee doesn’t get what it deserves out of the Savannah doings in terms of recognition. Jay ought to know best. He currently serves there as the Parade Committee Secretary.

No Irish parade politics in all this. No apparent conflict. Hugh Coleman is Jay’s boss as General Chairman of the Parade Committee. His thoughts on the Tybee adventure are not measured. “This is a good idea,” he says. “It is something different and a good addition to the St. Patrick’s Day season. It should work out fine.”

Mr. Coleman works off a $200,000 dollar budget to stage the Savannah event appreciated internationally. Jay Burke says he is working his inaugural without a financial net. He argues the idea has to be the driving force now. “We want to grow this as a Tybee entity,” he explains. Next year, he adds optimistically, is a different set of options.

This year, Mr. Coleman is making his Grand Marshall available to Tybee. That move sets up a continuing linkage between the two parades and it is an open sign of cooperation.

There is no Grand Marshall designate planned for the parade beginning at St.Michael’s Catholic Church at 2pm and ending on Tybrisa Street. The idea will be to always have the pastor there bless the gathering and enjoy a convertible spin down Butler. Father Gaspar Hegedus will perform the initial duties. The Irish Air Corps Pipe Band is scheduled to play the Star Spangled Banner along with the Irish National Anthem and join the parade to Tybrisa Street.

Band members number 25.
That’s the first big catch for Jay and Frank.
That band will then march in Savannah two days later.

Also, the 45 person officers and crew of the Irish vessel, Roisin, was asked to come to Tybee and march in the parade. An acceptance was made. The Roisin is the first Irish ship to berth in a Georgia Port. They’ll join the Irish pipers in the Savannah parade. That effort was initiated by Savannah’s mayor Floyd Adams in a letter writing campaign.

Roisin means rose in Gaelic. There are less than 10 boats in the entire Irish Navy.

That’s the second big catch for Jay and Frank.
The 2pm Tybee parade is said not to be in any time conflict with events downtown.

“I’m just doing it to be involved for Tybee,” says Frank Hyre, a 5 year resident. “The idea has just rolled.” His continuing and offbeat sense of humor has kept this effort on target, loose. City Council came up with $1,500 to aid the Parade Committee when Frank spoke to them in February. No blarney. Just the facts.

And in a unanimous vote, the Council blessed the parade permit.

The parade is the buzz on the street. Something happened, something unique. It is being planned as a community type parade much shorter than the Beach Bum extravaganza. It is designed to be a heritage event and not River Street East.

Keep your water guns at home.

“This is a labor of love. It is about celebration on our Tybee Island,” reflects long time Tybee watcher Henry Schroder. Like a lot of folks, Henry can’t wait. He asks who is not Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, especially here on Tybee.
50 units had signed on before mid-February. There is a fee of $100 dollars for a commercial entry.

The precision, award winning Color Guard from the American
Legion will be marching along with someone billed as the world’s largest leprechaun. Belinda Flanigan will be featured on a float promoting her role as Tybee’s candidate in the Kiss a Pig diabetes drive this year. Anne Monaghan will lead the Yeepies organization waving to parade watchers from Tybee’s touring Big Blue Bus. Look for WRHQ Radio, 105.3 broadcasting Live while in the parade. Television is coming. The Tybee Shrine will have a presence. Sarah Korff could be parading with dogs featured in the recent Mutt Strut. Cloggers have asked for a spot in the line-up along with Nell Klein at the Wind Rose Cafe. Cullen Chambers and his Historical Society are planning to enter a float. Former Grand Marshall Tommy Brunson is ready to pull his float out of the garage and head to Tybee.
And, the clans. Irish families will be walking and waving. This is the core reason Jay Burke and Frank Hyre huddled at the Quarter dreaming one night…Irish families, said to number up to a 142 on the Island, gathering to celebrate their heritage, together, at home, beachside, in the month of March.

Council person Jimmy Burke, himself a former Grand Marshall, is advising son Jay along with Mayor Pro Tem Walter Crawford. Jimmy Cartee, Don &Wanda Doyle, Judy Hendrix, Dr.D&Lawanna Tsoulos, Paul DeVivo, Mike Scarbrough, Gene&Wanda Kindrick, George Swarz and Patrick Burke are also part of the think tank. Swarz will act as the Parade’s line-up guru and will be getting some help from Savannah parade staffers. Christy Burke and three year old son Jameson is keeping Jay grounded while Beverly Hyre is handling invitations and printing orders for Frank.

This has been a careful and intense drive to get the idea this far. Jay and Frank got a lot of support from Bob Thomson, Tybee’s city manager. “This is an event that reminds people we are a community and something we ought to do more often,” he said.

Police Chief Jimmy Price is behind it.
Now it is almost running by itself.
Even himself, Tommy Barlow, finally saw the wisdom and asked for a spot in the parade.
(Late word is that he may be fitted in behind the horses!)

Jay Burke and Frank Hyre are close to the first blessing at

St.Michael’s that third Saturday in March.

Both of them still can’t believe no one else has ever done it.

“Y’all started something,” acknowledges Beverly Hyre.

And that the boyos did in a fine wink of time.