Everything is Texas when you are a child: big, lavish, awe-inspiring. Yet I think the St Patrick's Day parades in Melbourne, Australia, of 30 years ago and more were grandiose affairs in reality, not just in my imagination.
The whole town would grind to a halt to allow the big parade make its impressive progress down Swanston Street, the main horizontal thoroughfare. Most of the Catholic schools sent squadrons of pupils to march, as did all the Irish dancing schools, of which there were a few. March 17th can easily fall within Indian summer in Australia, and in many years the temperature was in the high 70s or even 80s Fahrenheit, causing students such as my big sister to whinge or even faint at having to tramp along the dusty highway in formal serge blazers over their school uniforms.
Irish music filled the air, and there were floats bedecked with green in all fabrics and forms. Over it all, in the heyday, presided the stately figure of Archbishop Daniel Mannix, a legendary figure - like so many of his fellow Corkmen (born 1864 in the barony of Avondhu, no less). Granted the freedom of the City of Dublin in 1920, after he had taken up residency in Australia, Mannix fought conscription in the first World War and served for nearly half-a-century as a charismatic leader of the state of Victoria's Catholics.
But the death of Mannix in 1963 marked the passing of an era, perhaps the end of Irish Australia as a potent and identifiable force. Still, it is poignant to talk to the organisers of the first St Patrick's Day march of the 21st century and hear their sad pleas for financial support. They could also do with a few elbows to the wheel that do not belong to those who are, er, dignified by the passing of the years.
This year's festivities are in severe financial difficulty, and need around £5,000 to keep the green flag flying. Geraldine Ryan and her co-organisers are hoping for an Irish godfather with a heart of gold - and a bank balance to match - to help finance the parade.
Ms Ryan says she believes the problem is largely to do with present-day Melbourne's multicultural identity. "When we contacted the Melbourne City Council to ask for funding [a mere A$1,800], we got a letter back saying they had so many similar requests these days and we had missed out."
The letter gave a list of other groups which had been successful. Ms Ryan noted sadly that several of these were more exotic than plain old Hibernians. "The Irish are their own worst enemy in that they have assimilated too well," she believes. "They fit in and swing along." This makes them less visible, less audible, and perhaps less colourful.
It is lonely old haul, keeping the green flame aloft. "Our committee has struggled along from year to year just covering our costs," says Ms Ryan. "Each year it's getting harder and the costs are going up. All the individual organisations are raising funds to run their own events, having their own balls and functions. The Celtic Club have had a lot of changes in their power structure, and there has been upheaval there."
Trip to Ireland
Most of the Melbourne parade committee's money comes from the proceeds of a raffle for a return trip to Ireland provided by an Irish-Australian travel company. The committee could run after commercial sponsorship, but Ms Ryan says the most likely sponsors are alcohol companies, which the committee is reluctant to link with what has traditionally been a family festival.
"In Sydney they actually make a profit on their St Patrick's day festival, but they are sponsored by Guinness and they run drinking stalls. Melbourne has up till now been striking out against that. Drink stalls take it out of the family group theme. If there are drinking stalls there has to be a police presence, which people don't like. If parents want to bring a can of beer or mixer with them and drink it, that's up to them, but we want a family day," she says.
"We need between A$10,000 and A$15,000. It's not a big amount, but to get it out of people is another thing. . .Some businessmen cannot see the advantage to themselves of sponsoring the parade."
Genuine article
Ms Ryan bemoans the fact that phoney Irishness attracts so much commercial success, while the genuine article languishes. "Now Irish is the theme of everything these days, but many groups are not an Irishman's bootlace. A bush band will learn a couple of Irish tunes and then call itself an Irish band.
"We are determined to keep our event going, but it is a real battle," Ms Ryan says. "What we want is a good Irish godfather. He could come out and open the parade himself!"
If any Denis O'Brien wallet-alikes are reading this and have a soft spot for the city by the Yarra River and its rich Irish heritage, Geraldine Ryan's address is 406 Highbury Road, Mount Waverley, Victoria 3149, Australia. And please hurry!