Ramapo Glows with Irish Pride

Irish Heritage Night was celebrated at Ramapo Town Hall this year on March 3rd. The event featured harps, step dance, and of course, bagpipes. Irish Heritage Night was hosted by the Town of Ramapo in conjunction with the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians Men & Women’s Division 4 of Suffern, New York. The special guest of the night and honoree was Pat Withers, who will be grand marshal of the Pearl River St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year. 

Pat Withers is a lifelong Suffern resident and proud Irish-American. He began his career in public service at the 52nd NYPD precinct in the Bronx and retired from police service as a member of the NYPD elite Intelligence division.

Upon retirement he ran his family’s restaurant, Ireland 32, a staple of Rockland’s Irish community. Since then, Withers has returned to public service. His roles have included County Legislature for the 12th district, Police Commissioner for Ramapo Police Department, and deputy supervisor for the Town of Ramapo.  Withers stated that he always strives to put community and charity first, no matter the role. Withers coordinated the donation of an ambulance to the Rockland County Haiti Relief effort, and worked to secure critical grants and funding for Rockland and Ramapo throughout his career. On the 3rd, he was honored via proclamation for his years of service to the town and county. March 3rd will henceforth be known as Pat Withers day in the Town of Ramapo. 

The program for the night featured Irish cultural music and dance. Performers from the Harps of Tara played several songs on the harp including Amazing Grace and Danny Boy. The harpists featured were Madeline Schmidt, Sage Hetman, and Gabby Joseph. The Sheahan-Gormley School of Irish Dance all the way from Orange County performed as well, showcasing both traditional Irish step and some more innovative dances. Their final dance performance featured no music, with the dancers providing their own beat and rhythm. Featured performers from the school include Megan Bushey, Saoirse Trazino, Addison Cohen, Emily Sheil, Chloe Sheil, Sawyer Bowe, Teagan McNamee, Hailey Hoffman and Kate Hassler. Finally, the NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums performed and were led by their honorary drum major, Brendan Heffernan. 

Rockland County’s Irish roots run deep, all the way back to the battle of Stony Point. Since then, Irish Rocklanders have been a prominent and proud part of our county’s history and community. Even those without Irish-American roots often join in the community of those who celebrate Irish heritage and culture, especially on a day like St. Patrick’s Day (or in our case, the Sunday after). 

Congratulations and thank you to Pat Withers for all your years of service to the community. Join him and the rest of Rockland on March 22nd for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade starting at 11am.