NATCHEZ — If the ginger in his beard did not give it away, James Henry McCabe IV, more commonly known as Bubba McCabe, does indeed have Irish heritage.

McCabe has been chosen to lead the 34th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade down Main Street in Natchez, starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 17.

“I’m a little nervous about it,” McCabe said, adding, “It’s a big responsibility” to follow in the footsteps of other great Natchez St. Patrick’s like the late Senator Bob Dearing and former Mayor Tony Byrne, “but I’m obviously very honored and excited about it. It is cool to be part of this part of Natchez history and forever matched with so many other great folks who have come before me.”

Born to Rebecca Jones McCabe and the late James Henry McCabe Ill of Greenwood, McCabe has few Irish traditions in his family apart from having a family crest and carrying on the family name. His great-great-great-grandparents were first to migrate to the U.S. in 1863.

McCabe said he had the privilege of visiting Ireland for the first time in 2019 and visited the grave where his grandparents were buried and the ruins of a small Catholic church in the townland of Rathkenny, Ireland.

“The town hardly exists anymore,” he said. The trip was an “awesome” experience, he added. He and his wife Kattie spent an entire week traveling the island by rental car, visiting some of the filming locations for Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland, Killarney for which the Natchez Krewe of Killarney was named, and taking a ferry boat to Aran Island.

“We had no reservations,” other than the flight into and out of Dublin, McCabe said.

“My favorite place was probably Waterford just because of all the cool Viking history and medieval history.”

But it isn’t his ginger beard or Irish lineage that led McCabe to become St. Patrick.

The Krewe of Killarney, an organization that annually benefits young scholars with scholarships and local charity, also hosts Natchez’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. The parade takes place entirely on foot, following the tune of bagpipes down Main Street from Memorial Park to the bandstand on the Natchez Bluff.

The Krewe is always open to new members, whether Irish by blood or only Irish at heart, McCabe said. Annual membership dues of $20 per single or $30 per family support the scholarship fund and this year a charity of St. Patrick’s choosing — the Natchez Stewpot.

As the co-owner of Pig Out Inn Barbecue with his wife Katie, feeding the hungry is a near and dear cause to McCabe, he said.

The Shillelagh will be passed from St. Patrick XXXIII Tate Hobdy to St. Patrick XXXIV, McCabe.

McCabe is also the owner and operator of Star Buds Natchez on Highway 61. Aside from running his businesses, McCabe is active in the community in various volunteer and leadership roles including founding board member of the Downtown Natchez Alliance, former board member of the Natchez Chamber of Commerce, volunteer for The Natchez Festival of Music and volunteer for Y’all Means All Natchez.

In addition to Krewe of Killarney, McCabe is also a member of the Natchez Rotary Club, The Santa Cause Committee, and Krewe of Phoenix and is a Lifetime Member of the Ole Miss Alumni Association and a graduate of the Leadership Natchez Class of 2013.

When he is not working or volunteering, McCabe can often be found performing with Big Drew & the Bubbadelic locally as well as touring with other bands.

He first picked up the bass at age 12 and has been a singer, songwriter and musician ever since, he said. McCabe is also an avid fan of the Ole Miss Rebels, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs and enjoys playing golf and disc golf.