The longtime Holyoke resident was born and raised in the city’s Highlands section.
Grand Marshal Barry J. FarrellHe followed in his father’s footsteps in the funeral business, and now he’s being honored just as his father was by the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee.
Longtime Holyoke resident Barry J. Farrell, born and raised in the city’s Highlands section, will serve as this year’s grand marshal of the annual Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade which steps off under his lead on Sunday, March 18.
“It’s quite an honor ... a wonderful experience,” Farrell said.
“It’s our highest honor ... the premier position in the parade,” said Russell J. McNiff, Sr., past president of the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, who chaired this year’s nomination committee.
“Someone years ago made a comment about the award which I thought was so profound – that it is an award that seeks the individual and shuns those who seek it for themselves,” he added.
Each year, the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee of Holyoke awards its highest local honor of grand marshal to a person, such as Farrell, of Irish ancestry who is either a resident of Holyoke or a member of their committee. The recipeint is also someone who has distinguished him or herself as a loyal person to the committee, their career, family, and Irish ancestry.
“Barry is among a select group of only a few grand marshals whose fathers also led the parade as grand marshals. He has served on many different committees helping to organize the parade over the years. Barry has done a lot of good things for people over the years, and the community depend on him for the services he provides in such a professional manner at their funeral home. When Barry’s name came out of our nomination group, it quickly ascended to the top,” said McNiff.
Farrell was graduated in 1980 from Holyoke Catholic High School and attended Holyoke Community College before going on to graduate from New England Institute of Mortuary Science in Boston. Working in the funeral business since the age of 15, he worked as an apprentice alongside his father at the former Messier-Farrell Funeral Home until receiving his funeral director’s license in 1982. In 1984, he and his father founded Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home in Holyoke.
A member of the Saint Patrick’s Parade Committee since 1985, Farrell has served as the committee’s 49th president in 2000, and was named its Thomas J. Rohan Award winner in 2008. Active in the community, he was chosen “Small Business Owner” of the year in 2003 by the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. He sponsors many youth sports teams in Holyoke and is an active supporter of his parish, Blessed Sacrament Church in Holyoke. Farrell is currently a board member of the Holyoke Community College Foundation.
This year’s parade marshal said he embraces his Irish ancestry.
“I’ve always been very proud of that fact that I am Irish. I’m second-generation Irish and both sets of grandparents came from Ireland. I grew up around being Irish and it has always been a very natural part of my life, but I never really thought that deeply about it until becoming involved with the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee ... it really moved being Irish forward for me,” said Farrell.
As he walks the parade route with family members, including his wife, Donna, Farrell said the day will be extra special for him.
“I’ll be using my late father’s walking stick,” he said.