Boston Motorcade, Minus Gay Group, Honk for St. Patrick

There was a St. Patrick’s Day celebration Sunday in South Boston after all--minus an Irish gay and lesbian group.

A hastily organized motorcade of more than 200 vehicles briefly cruised the traditional route of the St. Patrick’s parade, which organizers canceled this year after a court ordered them to allow the gay group to march.

With headlights on, horns honking and passengers waving, the motorcade drove up and down East Broadway, the commercial heart of South Boston.

The unofficial observance lasted less than an hour. There were no protests or confrontations, and drivers in the motorcade obeyed all traffic laws, police spokesman Jerry Vanderwood said.

Police said the motorcade was not illegal and did not require a parade permit because organizers did not request a police escort or the rerouting of traffic.

Members of the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, known as GLIB, said the motorcade was an illegal attempt to evade the court ruling.

GLIB, which marched under court order in the 1992 and 1993 parades, said it would not protest and planned a separate celebration at a Unitarian-Universalist church.

Sunday’s motorcade was organized by several groups, including the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which runs the traditional parade. The groups used flyers, signs and word of mouth.