By Emily Schopfer
RUMSON – Rumson brought the luck of the Irish to Monmouth County, with warm weather showing up just in time for the borough’s 13th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 8. The mile-long parade procession that stretched from Victory Park on West River Road down East River Road brought out thousands of spectators.
James McManus, president of the parade’s Board of Trustees, estimated that anywhere from 6,000 to 7,000 spectators – many families with kids – came out to enjoy the spectacle.
“The parade is so family-oriented,” McManus said. Rumson’s Parade focuses on community pride and “honoring the strong support from all the families that put the parade on,” he said.
This year’s 2026 Parade Grand Marshal, Grace Hanlon, executive director of The Jersey Shore Partnership, exemplifies that community pride. Hanlon may be a Monmouth County native, but she proudly celebrates her Irish heritage; she participated in Rumson’s Irish soda bread competitions in 2024 and 2025.
The parade board described Hanlon as “a leader who honors her heritage while building a brighter future for our community.”
The Jersey Shore Partnership is the state’s leading nonprofit in shoreline advocacy and restoration. The organization just hosted its first Winter Celebration in Asbury Park March 2.
This year’s parade had about 75 participating groups and eight floats, the most ever, according to McManus.
The Monmouth County Daughters of Ireland chapter joined the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day parade route. The organization focuses on fundraising for women’s health and wellness. Courtesy Emily Schopfer 
Grace Hanlon, this year’s 2026 Parade Grand Marshal, was front stage leading the procession. Courtesy Emily Schopfer 
The Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade featured everything from pipe bands to vintage cars and even some festive pups along for the ride. Courtesy Emily Schopfer
Jessica Shea-Brown, president and founder of Monmouth County Daughters of Ireland (MCDOI), one of the parade participants, told The Two River Times that Monmouth County has the largest Irish American population in the state. It’s what prompted Shea-Brown, who was part of the first Daughters of Ireland chapter in Union County, to found the Monmouth County organization in January 2024.
MCDOI is “similar in mission, but different in philanthropy” from the Union County chapter, according to Shea-Brown. Both are nonprofits, where members “come together to honor our Irish heritage, cultivate friendships” and serve local communities. However, MCDOI’s unique philanthropy focuses on supporting women’s health and well-being.
March is not just Irish-American Heritage Month; it’s also Women’s History Month.
MCDOI first marched in Rumson’s 2024 parade. “It’s a nice, family-oriented event,” Brown said.
For McManus, who has been serving on the parade board for the past 12 years, the most rewarding part of the parade experience is right before the parade starts, when “everything is laid out up the river, up to Bellevue (Avenue), and I can just look up and see everything put together.”
If you missed Rumson’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, don’t fret, there are more ahead:
• The Little Silver Fire Company is hosting its annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser, offering an evening of traditional Irish food, an open bar with beer and wine, live entertainment, Irish music, bagpipes and drums, a kids’ fun zone, and a 50/50 raffle. The event runs from 3 to 10 p.m. March 14 at the Little Silver Firehouse, 543 Prospect Ave.
• Highlands’ 21st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place from 2 to 4:30 p.m., March 21, starting on Waterwitch Avenue at Huddy Park, Highlands. The parade will honor both Irish culture and America’s 250th anniversary with marching bands, Irish dancers, festive floats and “a patriotic nod to our nation’s history,” organizers said. The Monmouth County Daughters of Ireland will march there as well.
• The Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 28. Step-off time is 12:30 p.m. The procession will begin at North Lake Boulevard in Lake Como and proceed north along Main Street, finishing at 5th Avenue in Belmar. The recent blizzard forced the first weather-related postponement in the event’s 53-year history.
• Celebrating Irish American heritage doesn’t end after March. Mark your calendars for Monmouth Park’s 54th New Jersey Irish Festival June 7 at the racetrack in Oceanport.
The article originally appeared in the March 12 – 18, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
