St. Patrick’s Day Parade to honor RTM’s Tom Byrne

GREENWICH — Tom Byrne, a longtime fixture in town government and the former Moderator of the Representative Town Meeting, has been chosen as the grand marshal of the 48th annual Greenwich St. Patrick’s Parade.

Byrne began serving on the RTM in 1988, and spent 26 years as the leader of the legislative body, retiring from the RTM in December 2023.

The parade grand marshal can trace his Irish ancestry to his great-great grandparents, Patrick Byrne and Anna Healy, who were born in Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland.

The Byrne family came to New York after Patrick died in 1844.

Byrne said he gained a strong appreciation for his Irish ancestry when he visited some years ago.

“Walking through a cemetery in County Wicklow, every headstone said ‘Byrne’ ” he recalled. “It was something.”

The former town official said he was also a big fan of the parade in Greenwich.

“We moved to Greenwich in 1984, and went to all the parades,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it. I love the bands. And I’m grateful for all those who show up for it.”

Byrne said he was hoping for good weather on the day of the parade, as the season often brings cold and rain with it.

Byrne graduated from Yale and Stanford Law School and practiced law in Connecticut for 15 years. He later transitioned to a career in education, teaching physics at New Rochelle High School for more than 25 years. He also referees high school basketball games. He and his wife, Megan, are members of St. Clement Parish in Stamford.

The parade will be held on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, beginning at 2 p.m. The Greenwich Hibernian Association will formally install Byrne as the grand marshal March 2 at the organization’s annual St. Patrick’s dinner dance.

Kevin McFadden, a Greenwich native and the grandson of Irish and Scottish immigrants, was the Grand Marshal of the 47th annual parade in 2023. McFadden is a former New York City Police officer.