By Jeff Meade

The day started with thunder, lightning, rain coming down in buckets, a Mass at St. Patrick's off Rittenhouse Square celebrated by Cardinal Justin Rigali—and a joke from parade Grand Marshal Tommy Moffit. "If an Irishman gives you a shamrock and it's wrinkled, don't iron it," said Tommy, between bites of a doughnut at St. Patrick's parish hall following the Mass. "Why not?" I asked, happy to serve as Tommy's straight man. "Because," he said, "you could be pressing your luck."

Well, we could have been pressing our luck, going on with the parade as the downpours continued. But little by little, the deluge turned into something a little less biblical in proportions, and then to a trickle ... and then it stopped, not long after the parade started down at Broad and Washington.

We have lots and lots (and lots) of photos of this initially wet but otherwise glorious day in the lives of Philadelphia Irish ... and the grand marshal himself. Good on ya, Tommy.

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