CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- The Shannon Rovers bagpipe corps could have picked a warmer day to visit City Council chambers, especially in their traditional kilts.
But visit ... and play ... they did on Friday, joining Plumbers Local 130 on a tour through City Hall and the Cook County Building to introduce the court for this year's official St. Patrick's Day parade, set for Saturday, March 14 in Grant Park.
This year's Queen is Claire Cahill, an Elmhurst native who now makes her home in Lincoln Park.
"Our Irish heritage and family is so important to us," Cahill said after presenting an official parade invitation to Downtown Ald. Bill Conway (34th Ward). "I also grew up a competitive Irish dancer, so parades - I was usually performing in rather than attending, but it means so much for me to be this year's queen."
Before the parade, she'll join the plumbers' union in the boat that dyes the Chicago River green, which she says she's looking forward to.
As for the Rovers, they insisted they were staying warm, though one member said his knees were cold.