BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Today is Saint Patrick’s Day, and by the luck of the Irish, the rain stopped just in time to raise a flag outside of City Hall.

Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham along with local members of the Irish American community showed out in green to raise the Irish flag above City Hall this morning.

Saint Patrick’s Day officially started in 1631, when the Catholic Church established it as its own feast day.

In 1845, an estimated 1,000,000 Irish migrated to America to avoid the great potato famine.

The president of Broome County’s Ancient Order of Hibernians, John Walker, says that now, Irish Americans make up roughly 20% of Broome’s population.

President of the Broome County AOH John Walker says, “The Irish people have helped to form what we have here in Broome County today. On Saint Patrick’s Day, we celebrate our great patron saint. Some have no idea what the meaning is behind the celebration, but we, the members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians live in his memory every day.”

Mayor Kraham detailed his own personal connection with the holiday, describing how his great, great grandfather immigrated here from Ireland.

In his declaration, Kraham called on all Binghamton residents to recognize the accomplishments of the Irish throughout the Southern Tier through fun and festivities.