Lily’s founder Niall Crowe will lead Babylon’s second-ever St. Pat’s parade

The Babylon Village St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is gearing up for its second annual parade through the village, which is all set for Sunday, March 24.

And leading the way will be none other than Niall Crowe, the head of Lily Flanagan’s Restaurant Group, which includes the company’s namesake Irish pub in Babylon Village, along with two other village restaurants: The Local and The Villager.

“An emigrant from Ireland at an early age, Niall heads one of the fastest-growing hospitality/restaurant companies on Long Island with locations in Nassau and Suffolk counties,” the village stated on its Facebook page. “We thank Niall for his efforts and continuous support of various charities as well as his support of the Village of Babylon, The Babylon Chamber of Commerce, The Babylon Village Restaurant Association and the overall community.”

Judy Skillen, president of the Village of Babylon Historical and Preservation Society, earned the parade’s first Grand Marshal title. Click here for 25 photos from last year’s inaugural parade.

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More about Niall Crowe

Niall Crowe emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland 38 years ago, at 22 years old.

He had $200 in his pocket and lived in a one-room apartment in East Islip with his brother.

There was a shower, and they cooked their meals on a hot plate.

Today, he eats well.

Crowe, now 61 and living in Oakdale, heads one of the fastest-growing hospitality companies on Long Island — Lily Flanagan’s Restaurant Group, which now counts six locations in Nassau and Suffolk.

The latest, The Villager Farmingdale, celebrated its grand opening in September 2022.

“This is the best country in the world right here, the USA,” Crowe previously told Greater Babylon and Greater Long Island. “Where else can you do this? Nowhere.”

Now he”s been named the grand marshal in Babylon’s second annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Read the full story behind Lily Flanagan’s Restaurant Group