Watch out Boston! Chicago is aiming to be the US headquarters for St Patrick's Day 2013

Image: Wikimedia Commons

'We want to demonstrate to the rest of the country this deep sense of Irish pride that Chicago has'

For Blair Ciecko, there's nowhere in the US like Chicago on St Patrick's Day. And now, she and a group of prominent business owners and representatives from Irish organisations in the Windy City are trying to establish it as the country's headquarters for St. Patrick’s Day. 

Their organisation, ShamROCK Chicago Council, has launched a campaign to showcase the city’s green pride to the rest of the world. An online petition has been set up and they'll be encouraging everyone in the city to sign it to make Chicago the home of all things Irish on 17 March.

The list of signatures is expected to be handed over to Aidan Cronin, the Irish consul general in Chicago, before this year’s holiday. And Blair is encouraging people from all backgrounds to add their name to the document.

'While other cities might claim older traditions or greater Irish populations,' she said, 'we can say with confidence that nobody outside of Dublin celebrates St. Patrick’s Day quite like Chicago does.'

 'Thanks to Chicago’s strong Irish ties and beloved traditions like multiple parades, dyeing the Chicago River green, events at the Irish American Heritage Center and other Irish locations, music, nightlife, etc, Chicagoans and visitors from all over anticipate the nearly week long celebration here that they can’t find anywhere else,' she added.

Other major US cities, namely Boston and New York, might have something to say about all this. According to the latest Census figures, Boston is home to almost 100,000 people of Irish descent – or 16% of the city's total population.

Chicago lags behind when it comes to percentage (due to its larger population) but the total number of people who claim Irish ancestry is over double that of the Massachusetts state capital. 

When it comes to celebrating St Patrick's Day, however, things are more even. Hundreds of thousands of revellers line the streets in both cities every year for their respective parades. 

According to Mick O’Rourke, president and CEO of Signature Bank and ShamROCK Chicago Council member, the initiative is all about strengthening and centering these celebrations on the Windy City.

'More than any other city in the United States, Chicago exemplifies Irish pride,' he said, 'ShamROCK Chicago is an ideal opportunity for all Chicagoans to show their green pride and build community goodwill'.

'It will demonstrate to the rest of the country our dedication to promoting our strong Irish ties,' he added.

For more information about ShamROCK Chicago Council and the Chicago St Patrick's Day petition, log onto its website.