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Group of Firefighters from Ireland to March in Boston's Saint Patrick's Day Parade

The group of firefighters from Galway, Ireland, says they feel lucky to celebrate their Irish heritage in a place with so much history

The St. Patrick’s Day parade in South Boston will feature plenty of special guests, including a group of firefighters who came all the way from Ireland.

Nearly two dozen firefighters from Galway fire and rescue will march in Sunday’s parade. They traveled across the pond to represent their city, which is located in western Ireland.

“This year we picked Boston because we’ve never been before,” firefighter Ros Fagan said. “And we love it so far.”

The group has spent the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day seeing the sights in Boston. They took a ride on a fire boat and were touring a Boston fire house when the call came in for a 9-alarm fire in East Boston.

“We wanted to help, but we are away on holiday so we left it to the guys here,” firefighter Jonathan Folan said.

The group will march behind the Boston Fire Department in the parade. They said they feel lucky to be celebrating their Irish heritage in a place with so much history.

“We just really want to soak up the vibe ourselves,” firefighter Brian Fegan said. “It’s just a good experience outside of Ireland so we’re really looking forward to it.”

Director of parade operations Bryan Bishop said the event will also feature Spanish bagpipers, German leprechauns in addition to other surprises.

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