The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick San Diego (FSOSP) is an Irish fraternal order that supports and participates in the parade and festival since the beginning of the event in 1981. The San Diego chapter of The Friendly Sons began in 1953, established by founder Bill Bailey. As the largest Irish-American organization in San Diego County - and one of the oldest in the country - the Friendly Sons recognize our special obligation to celebrate our Irish heritage and to support the greater San Diego community.
The Friendly sons host the annual Smilin’ Irishman Contest in January as a fundraiser for the parade and festival. The contest is a competition between men from Irish organizations in the community who answer questions about Irish history, taste and identify whiskey, sing a tune, give a blessing, and do their best to raise as much money as possible to win the coveted title.
The FSOSP raises tens of thousands of dollars for a variety of organizations in the community each year through fundraising events. In addition to the parade and festival, they support a scholarship fund for University of San Diego students studying in Ireland, The Irish Outreach Center, support and escort the Miss Colleen pageant and in the parade, support Irish You a Merry Christmas (a program from Irish Outreach to bring toys and food to families in need), and support the Gaelic athletic organizations.
See the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick website for details of their work, events, and how to join.
Visit The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick website
The Friendly sons host the annual Smilin’ Irishman Contest in January as a fundraiser for the parade and festival. The contest is a competition between men from Irish organizations in the community who answer questions about Irish history, taste and identify whiskey, sing a tune, give a blessing, and do their best to raise as much money as possible to win the coveted title.
The FSOSP raises tens of thousands of dollars for a variety of organizations in the community each year through fundraising events. In addition to the parade and festival, they support a scholarship fund for University of San Diego students studying in Ireland, The Irish Outreach Center, support and escort the Miss Colleen pageant and in the parade, support Irish You a Merry Christmas (a program from Irish Outreach to bring toys and food to families in need), and support the Gaelic athletic organizations.
See the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick website for details of their work, events, and how to join.
Visit The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick website
