Shaeleigh Rose is 24 years of age. Her Irish ancestry comes from her maternal side, the Bailie’s from county Antrim and the O’Reilly’s from county Cavan. She is a recent graduate of Concordia University with a Bachelor of Science, major in Biochemistry and a minor in Irish Studies. She is currently working full time in an Immunology laboratory as an analyst, working on clinical trials for major diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Her future plans are to obtain a Master of Science in clinical research.

Shaeleigh loves to travel and to spend her time outdoors, hiking, kayaking and camping. This summer she will be competing in a half-marathon and a duathlon race. For her downtime, she enjoys reading, yoga and learning how to crochet. She volunteered at Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Care and Le Nichoir in Hudson. She traveled to Mexico to help build a medical center and volunteered for wildlife conservation projects at Dinokeng and Kruger National Park in South Africa. She has been very active in multiple sports and danced competitively for the Bernadette Short School of Irish Dance for 12 years.

Julia Meikle Rochford is 24 years of age. She is a Montrealer with a long line of Irish Heritage. She has heritage on both her maternal and paternal sides. Her ancestors emigrated from County Down, County Cork, and County Tipperary.

She recently completed her Bachelor of Social Work with Distinction at McGill.She is currently studying at McGill University in the Faculty of Law and the School of Social Work. She is in her first year of pursuing a Bachelor in Civil Law, Juris Doctor, and a Master in Social Work. She hopes to support families and youth in difficulty upon completion of these degrees.

In the fall of 2023, she was the recipient of both the Catherine Polson Memorial Scholarship through the U.I.S., and the Paul Harris Memorial Scholarship from the McGill Faculty of Law.  For the past seven years, she has been the chairperson of the Youth Committee for St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal.  She has organized a variety of in-kind donation drives for shelters and food banks and has begun organizing meetups to support youth and young adults to gather and embrace their Celtic roots through a sense of community.

Mia is 22 years of age. Her family’s Irish roots are on her maternal side from County Cork. She is presently in her second year as a student in electrical engineering at Concordia University. She also works part-time tutoring students from ages 4 through 18.

Mia loves reading and her favourite author is Stephen King. She also spends much of her time coding or building circuits. Mia has done volunteer work for most of her life. While attending high school, she aided Syrian refugees immigrating to Quebec during the Syrian crisis. She also participated in a humanitarian trip to Peru. She enjoys sports and plays for the Montreal Irish Rugby Football Club. She also enjoys snowboarding and keeping active at the gym. Mia did Irish dancing for many years. She is proud to say that her mother was also a Parade Princess in 1993.

Madison is 22 years of age whose Irish ancestry hails from the maternal side of her family. Her ancestors originated from both County Galway and Belfast. She recently completed a Bachelors Degree at Concordia University, earning a double Major in Political Science and in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies. She plans to return to school to do her Masters in Government Relations and Public Policy.

Madison is presently the Special Assistant in Parliamentary and Constituency Affairs for the Member of Parliament of NDG-Westmount.  She is also a Teaching Assistant at Concordia University. These two roles grant her the opportunity to explore her passion of creating a better society for all, while also helping guide the next generation of leaders.

Madison currently serves on the Youth Council for Minister Marc Miller, which empowers youth across Montreal. She is also the Vice-President of the Young Liberals of Canada, which, alongside her 13 years of political volunteer experience, allows her to give back to her community and affect change across Canada. She has always been engaged in various leadership positions in her educational institutions, such as a youth representative on various committees, clubs, and boards on the local, national, and international levels. She received the entrance award of the Director General’s scholarship in Leadership to study at Marianopolis College, and the Vince Sirois Award from Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs as a rising community leader.

Chloe Miller is a 20 year old Irish-Canadian whose ancestry stems from both her maternal and paternal sides. Her family’s Irish roots are from Counties Fermanagh, Leinster, Munster and Antrim. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Montreal in 2021 with High Honours and received awards for Community Service and debate. She finished her studies at Marianopolis College in 2023. She is currently attending Concordia University for a double major in History and Irish Studies. Chloe is also interning at MP Brenda Shanahan’s office. She spends much of her spare time volunteering for a variety of charities and fundraisers such as the Point Wish Softball Tournament. Chloe is an avid reader and traveler. She has participated in soccer and basketball at both a school and city level, Model UN and multiple clubs including her position as a Trivia Club executive in Cegep.

Patty McCann is best known to us as longtime St. Patrick’s Parade leader, serving as Vice President of Parade Organization from April 2011 to April 2022. Patty did a stellar job shepherding the organization and community in all things related to the iconic MTL St. Patrick’s Parade for more than a decade, including through the COVID pandemic. Prior to this role, Patty served as Deputy Parade Director in 2010, and as a marshall since 1999. She also served the organization as its Banquet Committee chairperson for the year 2000 banquet.

In addition to her devotion to the Irish community, Patty also plays a huge role in the Girl Guides community. Patty joined Brownies in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood at St Augustine Church at the age of seven and has been involved with the Girl Guides of Canada ever since. After moving out west, Patty was a Guide Leader in Banff and Canmore, Alberta, and upon her return, in Pincourt and Dorval, Quebec. She was privileged to take a patrol to Camp 101 in Roscommon, Ireland which coincidentally involved 101 Canadian Girl Guides. Patty has participated in two interprovincial camps, one being in Smithers BC and the other in Guelph Ontario. Patty’s role in the Guides community has empowered countless young girls over the years, and she continues to do this to this day.

Finally, Patty has just received her 30-year membership pin with the Royal Canadian Legion, showcasing yet again her devotion to her commitments.

Patty’s endless dedication to the UIS and the Irish community, and her longstanding leadership role within the organization makes her the perfect individual to act as Chief Reviewing Officer of the St. Patrick’s Parade. We are proud to announce Patty McCann as the 2024 Chief Reviewing Officer.

Mike’s Irish ancestry originated in Ulster. He has been a pillar of the Irish community for many years; he has played roles from the bottom to the top of organizations and has contributed to countless fundraising events. He notes that he would not have been able to play all of these roles without the support of his wife Gale and his children Erin, Ryan, Tiffany, Amanda and grandchildren Cassandra, Colton, and Charlotte.

Mike held the position of UIS President in 2012-2013. He was also Vice President for the Erin Sports association from 2016-2018, and Vice President for Verdun minor soccer from 1983 -1997. At an early age, doctors told Mike that contact sports were no longer possible due to injuries, at which point he shifted gears to coaching. In the beginning he coached the sport he loves most – football. Many years ago Mike was the Assistant coach of the Bantam Lasalle Colts, during which time he coached the current UIS president, Kevin Tracey. He also coached the Warriors Midget team, and acted as offensive line coach of the Chateauguay Jr Raiders. He then went on to coach, along with Danny Doyle, the Verdun Atom Ti-Cats as the first provincial championship team from Verdun. Mike also coached hockey in Verdun from the micro squirts to the pee-wee Aces, and in Lasalle for Pop-Harrigan. He was on the governing board for Verdun minor soccer where he also coached at many different levels.

Mike involved himself in countless fundraising events including the Verdun Adult Soccer Tournament, the Verdun Wackers Children’s Hospital Fundraiser, The Chateauguay Food Bank, The Point St. Charles Hall of Recognition, The Children’s Wish Softball Tournament, and The Liam Foundation. He was also involved in the food preparation for the annual Erin Sports Club American Thanksgiving, and recently the St Patrick’s Cup Hockey tournament. If all of this wasn’t enough… In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when kids were not able to go visit Santa at malls or schools, Mike took the initiative to start « Dancing with Santa », an online initiative via Facebook, which promoted physical activity and spread Christmas spirit, and did Santa home visits from a distance.

Mike is a leader within the community and deserves to be recognized for his commitment to our community. It is with great pleasure to name Mike Kennedy Grand Marshal of the 2024 Montreal St. Patrick’s Parade.