Community Corner

Businessman Bill Gallagher Is Named Greenwich St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal

The 40th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held March 23.


Port Chester native William 'Bill' Gallagher has been named the grand marshal of the Greenwich Hibernian Association's 40th annual Greenwich St. Patrick’s Parade.

Gallagher, who's the founder of the Greenwich-based Summer Rain Sprinkler Systems, will be installed as the grand marshal at the organization’s annual St. Patrick’s dinner dance on Saturday, March 1. The parade will be held on Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m.

Gallagher was born and raised in Port Chester, NY, the youngest child of Carol and the late Bill Gallagher, whose ancestors hailed from County Donegal and County Cork. He attended Sacred Heart Grammar School in Byram and Salesian High School in New York and graduated from St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, CT, where he excelled in both basketball and baseball. He is a graduate of St. Anselm College where he received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. 

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Upon graduation, he served the Town of Greenwich as a member of the Greenwich Police Department in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was an original member of the Greenwich Police Emerald Society Bagpipe Band. In 1981, Gallagher co-founded Summer Rain Sprinkler Systems.

For nearly 35 years, Summer Rain has been a part of the Greenwich business community, providing employment for a workforce of more than 125 individuals. A mission-driven company that is committed to giving back to the community, Summer Rain has provided complimentary installation and maintenance services to area churches, not-for-profit organizations, and public gardens and parks.

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As co-founder of Summer Rain, Gallagher is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. He also was a founding director and currently serves as a director of the First Bank of Greenwich. 

Gallagher has been involved with numerous civic and charitable organizations including the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Youth Program, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich. He is also an active member of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Greenwich.

He has been married for 33 years to Greenwich native Annie Hyland Gallagher, whose maternal grandparents were Joe and Ann Loughran, who emigrated from County Tyrone and her paternal grandmother, Martha Durkin Hyland emigrated from County Sligo. Her parents, George and the late Alice Loughran Hyland, are long-time supporters of the Greenwich Parade since its inception 40 years ago.  

For more information about the dinner dance, contact Haydn O’Shea at passage317@aol.com. For more information about the parade, contact Patricia Wilson at MPW549@aol.com.                                                       

 


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