Every year, they ask how we do it........ (sound)

[Dan Murphy]

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<td width="22%" colSpan="2"><font color="#ffffff">Friday, Mar 14, 2003</font></td>
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<td vAlign="center"><a href="http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/miracleL.shtml"><img src="http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/history/images/river_aerial2.jpg" border="0" width="180" height="233"></a></td>
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<br>
<a href="http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/history.shtml"><font face="arial" color="green" size="3"><b>History
& Stories</b></font></a><br>
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<center><font face="arial" color="green" size="6"><b>Modern Day
Miracle</b></font><br>
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<font face="arial" color="black" size="1"><br>
  by Dan O'Leary<br>
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<p>A modern day miracle occurs each year as part of the
St. Patrick's Day Parade celebration when the Chicago
River turns an incredible shade of Irish green. This
spectacular transformation ranks right up there with the
parting of the sea by Moses and the Pyramids of Egypt.</p>
<p>For the past 43 years the Chicago River turns green
for the St. Patrick's Day Parade celebration. One would
ask how this is different from the rest of the year when
the river is always a murky shade of green. The
difference is both <b>significant and breathtaking</b>
because the color green is identical to the greens of
Ireland from where it got its name "The Emerald
Isle."</p>
<p>In 1961 Stephen Bailey was approached by a plumber
who was wearing some white coveralls, they knew this
only because they could see some of the original color.
These coveralls had been mostly stained or dyed a
perfect shade of green, an Irish green to better
describe it. It was when Stephen Bailey asked how the
coveralls got this way, that they discovered that the
dye used to detect leaks into the river turned green,
not just any color green, but the perfect color green. <b>"A
tradition is born"</b></p>
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<p>Today this miracle belongs to Mike Butler and his
crew, which he claims to always have a little help from
a leprechaun who seems to just appear at this time each
year.</p>
<p>If you were watching this for the first time you
would think this is a mistake or a bad joke. You see the
dye is orange and its initial color on the surface of
the river is orange and you would think to yourself what
heathen would do something like this. After a moment or
two you then see the true color magically appear.</p>
<p>Two miracles appear that day, the river turns a
perfect shade of green something that many other cities
have tried but have not been successful at doing, and
the second miracle by starting with the color orange
giving the impression that river will be orange only to
convert the river to that true Irish green. We believe
that is where the leprechaun comes in.</p>
<img src="http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/pictures/river1S.jpg" border="0"><br>
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<p>As the late Stephen Bailey has said, the road from
Chicago to Ireland is marked in green. From the Chicago
River to the Illinois River, then to the Mississippi, up
the Gulf Stream and across the Atlantic you can see the
beautiful green enter the Irish Sea, clearly marking the
way from Chicago to Ireland.</p>
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<br>
<font face="arial" color="black"><i><b>Dan O'Leary</b> is a
member of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee and plays the
bagpipes with the Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band.</i></font></center></td>
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[Buckalew]

Cool! I had no idea that they did that.

 

[jamsmom]

What a cool post!!

 

[Sugarbaby]

I've always wondered how they did this. Great job,Dan! Liked the music too. Sure an' it makes me Irish blood proud!

 

[glo]

Thanks Dan, I was just telling my oldest about this and have been meaning to look it up.

 

[disfanatiks]

Great post, Dan!!!

 

[Lovely2CU]

Lovely effect on the river Dan.

I hope you don't mind me adding one of my favourites songs to your thread:

City Of Chicago (Christie Moore)

Chorus:
In the city of Chicago
As the evening shadows fall
There are people dreaming
Of the hills of Donegal

Eighteen forty seven
was the year it all began
Deadly pains of hunger
Drove a million from the land
They journeyed not for glory
Their motive wasn't greed
A voyage of survival
Across the stormy sea

Chorus

Some of them knew fortune
Some of them knew fame
More of them knew hardship
Died upon the plain
They spread throughout the nation
They rode the railroad cars
Brought their songs and music
To ease their lonely hearts

Chorus:

 

[helenabear]

Very cool! It looks beautiful

 

[paras4ri]

I always wondered too!!!!!
Happy St. Pat's Day from one Irishman to another!

 

[grinningghost]

Cool post, from one married-to-an-Irishman to a real Irishman.

 

[CRB#33]

Wow! I didn't know they did that!

Happy Saint Patty's Day Dan Murphy!

 

[Dan Murphy]

A few more pictures.........