When Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Grand Colleen Brieanna Gresh and her court are seen in the 62nd annual march on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, they will be surrounded by a sea of greens and gold resembling the old Kenilworth Castle, once a Holyoke landmark Float designer Daniel E. Tierney decided to make this year’s float something that Holyoke...
Holyoke float designer Daniel E. Tierney
When Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Grand Colleen Brieanna Gresh and her court are seen in the 62nd annual march on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, they will be surrounded by a sea of greens and gold resembling the old Kenilworth Castle, once a Holyoke landmark
Float designer Daniel E. Tierney decided to make this year’s float something that Holyoke could recall from the past with pride and chose the old castle which was built in the 1890s by E.C. Taft, then owner of Albion Mills in Holyoke. He never lived there because he died before moving into it.
The castle was located near the entrance to Mountain Park off Northampton Street. Several descendents of Taft lived in the castle, which had 12 rooms, for a time but gradually the building was abandoned and finally bulldozed in 1959. The Holyoke Water Power Co. the purchased the land and it has gone through several owners since.
The castle was built and designed by Taft based on old English castle motifs.
Tierney and float builder and co-designer Rich Dupuis, who is also this year’s parade president, proudly showed off the designed float which is copied after plans for the castle and has the Grand Colleen seated on a throne-type chair at the top of a stairway with her court positioned in various turrets on the float.
The colleen court this year with Gresh includes Jessica S. Sweeney, Lauren M. DeLisi, Melissa M. Goulding and Kathleen C. Egan.
Tierney, in his 61st year of float building for the parade, a job he inherited from the late Vincent Brown, said he is sure this float will be an “eye catcher“ this year, “especially since it is so green and the parade is being held on St. Patrick’s Day, the greenest day of the year.“
The float, built and stored until parade time at the Gas and Electric Department garage on Walnut Street, will be the lead float in the parade again this year.
Dupuis explained that the Grand Colleen from Holyoke leads the parade every year on her float and that is “as it should be.“
Tierney and Dupuis were helped in the float construction this year by parade committee members Sue Poulin, Rory Turschman and Billy Quesnal.
As a bonus this year, the parade committee is also sponsoring a second float, one also in many shades of green depicting downtown Holyoke, with City Hall featured, with park benches and other highlights.
That float was slated to be in the parade at the Big E last September but that parade got washed out by rain.
Tierney said plans are afoot to enter the downtown float in the Big E Holyoke Day parade this year.
Dupuis, who owns and operates Pool Tech in the Springdale section of the city, has been working with Tierney on floats for the last 23 years.
Tierney said he felt this year’s Grand Colleen Float “might be one of the best ever.“