What was to be on balance an very successful day for the Bay Area Irish republican socialists was not without its down points, chiefly as a result of those responsible for coordinating the positioning of the units within the line of march.

Whether the consolidation of Irish Northern Aid's influence over the governing board of the United Irish Cultural Societies was directly related to the interesting modification to the norms of the past fourteen years that the IRSC has marched in the parade under its own banner or not, the relationship seemed a bit too striking for mere coincidence to the group's members and the members of other Left organizations who joined in the Anti- Imperialist Contingent the IRSC has organized under its auspices for the past five years.

While INA and the affiliated Pearse/Connolly Pipe and Drum band were positioned at the front of the parade's First Division, the IRSC, at position 151, was in the latter portion of the Sixth Division. Separated from the Good Friday Agreement supporters by nearly the entire length of the parade, the IRSC's application for its two unit numbers that has been a standard for many years some how ended in only being assigned a single unit number. That number being for its marching unit, rather than its often award-winning decorated car unit.

Despite the lack of a distinct unit number for it, the IRSC followed their Anti-Imperialist Contingent with what was undoubtablly its most attractive vehicle of its many years in the parade. A large panel van featuring the likenesses of the two great Irish Marxists James Connolly and Seamus Costello and bearing the Irish tricolour and Starry Plough flag of the revolutionary Irish working class celebrated the recent 25th anniversary of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and Irish National Liberation Army and their ongoing struggle for Irish national liberation and a 32-county Irish workers' republic.

While the van brought up the rear of the IRSC's unit, it was lead off by the group's dark blue identifying banner. Behind this marched members of the allied All-African People's Revolutionary Party bearing their own identifying banner, after which another IRSC banner in brilliant crimson bore the quote:

"The Cause of Ireland is the Cause of Labour, The Cause of Labour is the Cause of Ireland" and an attribution to James Connolly.

Behind this marched both the San Francisco and Alameda County chapters of the Peace and Freedom Party holding their own banner high aloft. In addition members of the Industrial Workers of the World and the Bolshevik Tendency joined in demonstrating their solidarity with the revolutionary forces in Ireland, as well as the solidarity of the IRSC's members with other working class struggles around the globe.

The extreme separation from other Irish republican groups this year served to enable the IRSC to place its radical form of Irish republicanism plainly before the spectators along Market Street, and all those marching were encouraged by the most positive public response they have received in many years.

Approaching the final reviewing stand, the announcer seemed to be searching for any alternative he could find to the prospect of reading the IRSC's name aloud, but when the contingent demonstrated that it did not intend to move forward until such an announcement was made, a female among those officiating on the platform took the microphone and provided a genuinely warm recognition, while Podrigin Drinan, standing in for the murdered Honorary Grand Marshall, Rosemary Nelson, waved her personal greetings of solidarity, and Jack Webb, president of the United Irish Cultural Societies sought to make amends by personally greeting the Irish Republican Socialist Committees' North American Coordinator, Peter Urban, who was one of the two IRSC comrades bearing the lead banner.

The IRSC wish to thank the comrades of the A-APRP, Peace and Freedom Party, IWW, Bolshevik Tendency and the independent anti-imperialists who joined in marching with them. The IRSC also thank them for lending their celebratory company at the post-parade Margaritas and Mexican food social that has become an IRSC St. Patrick's Day Parade tradition.

Let's do it again next year!