Krewe of Killarney’s St. Patrick XX

  With roots in Natchez, Mississippi, back to the 1800s and deeper roots in Northern Ireland centuries before that, Peter Burns, Jr., as the Krewe of Killarney’s St. Patrick XX, will lead the Irish faithful and Irish aficionados in Natchez’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
  “Thrilled and honored” to be deigned this year’s reigning St. Patrick, Burns is a long-time member of the Krewe of Killarney with family connections to other Krewe royalty. His Uncle Pat Burns and his first cousin Joe Garrity have served as St. Patrick, but Peter is the first of his branch of the Burns family to fill the role.
   Reflecting on his Natchez-based Irish heritage, Burns recalled his great grandfather Patrick Burns, who opened Burns Shoe Store on Main Street in 1893. This Burns family patriarch surely had the luck o’ the Irish: He was born and died on March 17—St Patrick’s Day. To pass this luck and a unique Irish custom on to others on St. Patrick’s Day, he started the tradition of handing out small Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day to customers and pedestrians on Main Street. This tradition continued for over 100 years until Burns Shoe Store closed its doors in the 1990s. The Shamrock on the store’s sign still remains, a reminder of the Irish heritage so vital a part of the fabric of Natchez, past and present.
   Peter Burns’ family traces its origin to County Armagh in Northern Ireland. His parents, Pete, Sr., and Therese, visited Ireland a few years ago and were excited for their children to make the journey together last July. Eleven family members made the trip: six of the eight siblings (Annette, Ann, Parnell, Peter, Melanie, John), two spouses (Peter’s wife, Dianne, and Melanie’s husband, Rick), and three grandchildren (Peter and Dianne’s sons Carter and Tyler, and Ann’s son Max). Certainly, this was “the trip of a lifetime” with multiple family members aboard, so much Irish history and tradition to recapture, and so much o’ the blarney to enjoy! And what a perfect prelude to the St. Patrick’s Day celebration slated for the family this March in Natchez.
   The Burns family jaunt through Ireland was part of an organized bus tour, and everyone in the Burns group wore a Natchez lapel pin. By the end of the trip, everyone on the bus, including the driver, was wearing one, even the pilot that flew them back to the States. Also on the tour was a group of nine from Pontotoc, Mississippi. Unfortunately, their group leader was called home for an emergency on the second day of the trip, but the Burns family bonded with the remaining eight as all the Mississippians looked after each other. The Irish tour guide, Alli, watching the way they bonded, said they had restored her faith in mankind. Dianne Burns responded, “We’re from Mississippi. That’s what we do!” Since then, members of the Pontotoc group have visited the Burns family in Natchez, and Peter and Dianne have invited them down for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festivities.
   Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Krewe of Killarney St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17 gets under way at 5:30 p.m. with participants gathering in and around Memorial Park in the 600 block of Main Street. This is a walking parade that requires no registration and allows no motorized vehicles. All are welcomed to join in this ‘wearing o’ the green’ as St. Patrick leads the loyal down the center of the city to the bluffs, high above Old Man River. Here, he will formally cast the snakes of Natchez into the Mighty Mississippi, commemorating Ireland’s St. Patrick who, according to legend, cast the Green Isle’s snakes into the sea.
   This St. Patrick’s Day, join the area Irish and the Krewe of Killarney, join a Natchez tradition, and join Peter Burns and family, in acclaiming, “Erin Go Bragh!”