ROCKAWAY PARK — Mike Benn’s Irish eyes will certainly be smiling on St. Patrick’s Day, and not just because he is a proud son of Ireland.
Benn, 75, who is retired from the construction trade and lives in Rockaway Beach, has been named the Grand Marshal of the 264th Annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade and will lead the marchers up Fifth Avenue on March 17.
“It’s the biggest honor an Irishman could get,” said Benn, who was born in County Limerick in 1948, and came to the U.S. in 1962 at 14. He has marched in the parade annually for decades, always with the County Limerick contingent.
Benn’s status as grand marshal also means that the Diocese of Brooklyn will be prominent in the parade. Benn and his wife Christina are parishioners of St. Camillus-St. Virgilius Parish in Rockaway Park. The Benns have been married for 53 years and have six children, one of whom is married to Kimberly Benn, an account executive for The Tablet.
Benn is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2008, he was named Chief Brehon of the Great Irish Fair, which was held in Coney Island at the time. The event has since moved to Holy Name of Jesus Church in Windsor Terrace.
Catholic Migration Services, which works with immigrants in the diocese, named him a Shining Star in 2019.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan isn’t the only one Benn has been involved in. For many years, he has been the president and chairman of the Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
Benn, a graduate of Cardinal Hayes High School, earned an accounting degree from Mercy College. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1972 and then worked for decades in the construction trade and was a member of two unions, Local 608 of the Carpenters Union and Local 30 I.U.O.E Operating Engineers.
He retired a few years ago and now devotes much of his time to promoting Irish culture, including directing and producing “In the Eyes of the Irish,” a show on Queens public television.
“People who aren’t Irish, when they think of Irish culture, they think of ‘The Quiet Man’ with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara,” he explained. “But there’s a lot more to it than that. We want to give people the full picture.”
For Benn, it all comes back to his strong Catholic faith. On the day of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, his mind will be focused not on the hoopla surrounding the festivities but on faith.
“To me, the high point of the day is always the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” he said. “It’s about getting in there and getting your spiritual healing for the day.”