The Parade Marshal's Lucky Charm

Patrick O'Sullivan has been the Boston St. Patrick's Day parade marshal for fifteen consecutive years, but never before has the luck of the Irish shone so brilliantly as when he donned his grandfather's marshal sash and his ceremonial top hat with miniature shamrock flag.

As he led the procession down Southie's streets, onlookers swore the sky cleared precisely above his path, creating what the Boston Globe would later describe as "a shamrock-shaped patch of blue sky following O'Sullivan like a spotlight from the heavens."

The mayor, who'd been feuding with Patrick since the Great Corned Beef Controversy of 2023, spontaneously embraced him at the reviewing stand. "It was like the flag was broadcasting good vibes," O'Sullivan later told us, adjusting his CapFlag with reverent fingers. "Even me mother-in-law smiled at me, and she hasn't done that since our wedding day."

By parade's end, O'Sullivan had received three job offers, found a four-leaf clover growing through concrete, and been asked to run for city council—all while his CapFlag waved triumphantly above the sea of green.

"Some wear their heritage on their sleeve," he winked as the last bagpipes faded. "I prefer to fly mine a little higher."