Read more on the Certificates of Irish Heritage here

During the month of March, IrishCentral.com held a photo contest on our Facebook page, asking people to show us how they celebrate their Irish heritage. The three entrants whose photos got the most public votes were the lucky winners of Official Certificates of Irish Heritage.

We received some great entries from lots of proud Irish people who celebrated their heritage by attending St. Patrick’s Day parades, visiting the homes of their ancestors, or just by hanging out and having the craic Irish style.

Here’s our three proud winners of the Certificate of Irish Heritage and their entries, as voted for by our readers:



Paul Weikel (nee Kirkpatrick)

Photo description: I am the Grandson of Daisy Kirkpatrick with a proven ancestral line extending back as far as 1669 (so far) to original immigrants to the Norfolk, Virginia area. Our family history has always listed itself as Scot-Irish due to the multiple coastal raids that occurred along the Irish Scottish coast. The Coat, and vest custom tailored by ImperoLondon. My Grandfather’s Line of ancestors is from the Mann family. Origins of that family name are unknown specifically.


Tim Shields

Photo description: The Bagpipes and Drums of the Emerald Society, Chicago Police Department -February of 1982 witnessed the tragic deaths of three Chicago Police Officers. Fatefully, two were lost returning from the first officer’s funeral. Police officers from the Emerald Society of Illinois, with the assistance of then Mayor of Chicago, Jane Byrne, arranged for the presence of the Pipes & Drums of the Emerald Society - City of New York Police Department to conduct their “Inspectors Funeral” in Chicago. This impressive and fitting tribute to these “fallen men in blue” was the impetus for the formation of the band. The Bagpipes and Drums of the Emerald Society - Chicago Police Department was subsequently formed in May of 1982 with the help of Mayor Jane Byrne and then Emerald Society President Dan Burke.



Pamela Boyd

Photo Description: NYC St Patrick's Day Parade - Fighting 69th Infantry also known as the Irish Brigade was an infantry brigade, consisting predominantly of Irish Americans, that served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. The designation of the first regiment in the brigade, the 69th New York Infantry, or the "Fighting 69th", continues to today. The Irish Brigade was known in part for its famous war cry, the "faugh a ballagh", which is an anglicization of the Irish phrase, fág an bealach, meaning "clear the way".