‘A great night for the Irish’

“It was a great night for the Irish in Milford,” Joe Dooley said at the second-annual “Six Months to St. Patrick’s Day” dinner at the Dimmick Inn on Sept. 17.

Dooley and Jenny Gagnon have been organizing the St. Patrick’s Day parade from the beginning and this dinner is a precursor to that. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the forthcoming parade as well as to raise funds and celebrate the comradery of the Celtic culture and Irish heritage. Dooley and Gagnon were like new parents hovering over their babies, making sure that people were happy and excited about the forthcoming parade.

The dinner this year was at the Dimmick, but last year it was at the Tom Quick as the organizers like to spread it around town. One of the highlights of the evening was the big reveal of the Grand Marshalls. This year, Teresa and Larry O’Leary will hold that post and people celebrated the changing of the guard from Brian and Bernadette O’Donnell, Grand Marshalls for this year.

“The dinner was a joyous occasion to support Irish culture with bagpipe tunes played by Jeff McQuaid - our local piper, a delicious corn beef and cabbage dinner supplied by Primetime Meats accompanied by homemade soda bread baked by Jenny Gagnon’s mother and all cooked and served by the Dimmick Inn staff,” Dooley said. He also thanked the Pike Chamber of Commerce and Bashful Blooms for supplying the centerpieces for the tables.

The dinner raised about $2,000, but the biggest supporter of the night was the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau which contributed $10,000 toward the parade.

Jeff McQuaid played the bagpipes as people approached the restaurant and put a smile on their faces as they entered. He also played some tunes inside during the dinner.

McQuaid plays the Great Highland Bagpipe (GHB), a woodwind instrument like the bassoon or oboe, but with double reeds and nine notes. McQuaid is quite generous with his talent and has played locally at Log Tavern Brewing Company, La Posada, and at churches with an organist. He played at this dinner last year, as well. One of his favorite tunes is “The Marine’s Hymn” which is the official song of the U.S. Marines. McQuaid said everyone loves that, especially the Marines.

People left feeling happy and looking forward to the parade. Dooley and Gagnon said it will be even bigger and better than last year (which had 5,000 people). They are encouraging all visitors to come early, see the shops, and eat and drink in the restaurants.

The parade will be on Saturday, March 21, 2026 and will start at Ann Street park at 3 p.m. Marchers are expected to be in their places at 2 p.m. and spectators are urged to come before 3 p.m. because it will be very crowded.