San Diego, CA
‘Everybody’s Irish on St. Patty’s Day’: Thousands celebrate at San Diego parade
A week of rainy weather, reminiscent of the Emerald Isle, set the stage for San Diego’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Balboa Park on Saturday. Thousands of people dawned green at the 43rd annual Irish festival and embraced the warm sun.
Muddy grass smooshed under the feet of attendees milling about the festival grounds, some carrying beers and bratwurst while others shuffled over to a stage to watch local Irish dance students tap and leap in sync.
John Hyatt, a spokesperson for the Irish Congress of Southern California who organized the event, said the all-day celebration, which ran from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., was completely put together by volunteers. The theme of this year’s festival was “Celebrating Irish Businesses.”
The one-day festival on Saturday offered an outlet for people to share Irish culture and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day whether they have Irish heritage or not.
“I hope what (people) take away from the event is a feeling of hospitality that we’re known for in the Irish community,” Hyatt said.
Fifth Avenue was lined with families cheering on the bands of bagpipes played by the local firefighters marching in the parade, as well as the “Friendly Sons of St. Patrick” singing Irish folk songs, while some of the kilted men smoked cigars as they walked.
In addition to the show of local Irish dance troupes and community organizations, the parade also showcased other cultural groups in the parade. A woman adorned in shamrock necklaces waved a giant Mexican flag. She was followed by young girls in vibrant ballet folklórico skirts fanning the asphalt.
“Everybody’s Irish on St. Patty’s Day,” said Bay Park resident Nancy O’Hanlon, who was sporting sparkly shamrock glasses.
She’s been coming to the San Diego St. Patrick’s Day parade since the mid-1980s — the first one was held in March 1981. O’Hanlon said she enjoys celebrating her Irish heritage with friends each year and showing support to so many different communities in San Diego.
Joe and Laura Little drove about three-and-a-half hours from Edwards Air Force Base in Antelope Valley to attend Saturday’s parade. The couple said it’s important for them to share Irish culture with their sons, Noah and Seth. Plus, it was a fun reason to visit family in the area, including Joe’s 97-year-old, Irish American great aunt Mee.
Joe Little, who was wearing the Irish flag tied around his neck like a cape, said a family trip to Ireland is on their bucket list. For now, they were excited to experience the drums, bagpipes and Irish culture at the San Diego parade.
Cathy Ward, executive director of the Irish Outreach Center, said the parade’s emphasis on Irish businesses is important because it’s one way to give back to the community. She moved to San Diego in 1989 from County Wicklow after seeing a picture of it in a newspaper — at the time, she’d never even heard of the place she now calls home.
As the head of the Irish Outreach Center, Ward helps connect San Diegans to their Irish heritage with resources such as passport services, local events and group trips to Ireland. For Irish newcomers, they extend their signature hospitality to get people settled into a completely new environment.
“It’s a soft landing,” she said. “Hundreds of Irish students come every summer to work seasonal jobs … so we invite them in and give them a little welcome.”
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That welcoming connection made all the difference for Grainne McGuire, who came to San Diego a decade ago from County Mayo in Ireland. She got plugged into the local community right away and joined an Irish sports league, playing Gaelic football and Camogie.
Ultimately, that led her to found a business called Kiana Sportswear in 2023 alongside her teammate Sophie Grego, making athletic gear for female athletes playing traditional Irish sports. The two women credit the local community for supporting their aspiration and getting their name out there.
“We wouldn’t be a business unless we had the Irish community around us,” said Grego, who was attending the St. Patrick’s Day parade for the first time.
Originally Published:
Joan Endres
OBITUARY
Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.
Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.
In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.
Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.
As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.
Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.
The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.
Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games
The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.
The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.
Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout
Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.
The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.
Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game
It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.
Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU
There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.
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