Episode 2.18 (Tom McManamon): Putting Together a Perfect Parade

In season two of the "Finding Home" podcast series, Irish American Archives Society Executive Director Margaret Lynch interviews an array of Clevelanders with specialized knowledge and stories about the history of the Irish in Cleveland. This episode features an interview with Tom McManamon. Three generations of Tom McManamons have been an integral part of Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day Parade. The current Tom’s grandfather, a City Engineer and project manager of the Irish Cultural Garden, was a leader of the Irish Civic Association, which reorganized the Parade in the early 1930s. Tom’s father, a City Sidewalk Inspector who also founded an insurance company, led another Parade reorganization in 1958 and served as the first Executive Director of the United Irish Societies. Our podcast interviewee carried on the family insurance business, served as UIS Executive Director from 2001-2004 and is the Grand Marshal of the 2022 Parade. He reflects on his family's three generations of commitment to the St. Patrick's Day Parade.