BATON ROUGE — The 40th Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day parade is Sunday, and this year, an Irish native will lead the parade.

Noreen Coffey is the parade's 40th Grand Marshal and tenth Irish head.

Coffey says it's an honor to represent her motherland at the parade on Sunday. In fact, she said she didn't have a second thought when parade founder and former WBRZ anchor Pat Shingleton called her about being Grand Marshal.

"I said yes straight away," she said. "Then reality set in as to what the responsibility of this is. But it is such an honor."

Coffey, who hails from Killarney in the Republic of Ireland, shares many Baton Rouge residents' love for golf. She says her hometown is home to some of the finest courses in all of Ireland.

Coffey said that she bonded with the Shingleton and Quigley families through their shared love of golf.

"We formed a bond, I suppose, 1990, around that time," Coffey said. "And friends forever."

More than two decades ago, Coffey's brother — traditional Irish singer Denis Coffey — led the parade in 2004. He passed away in 2011, his sister said.

After being delayed for weather, the parade now rolls Sunday. WBRZ's broadcast of the parade will start at 11:30 a.m. on Channel 2, and the parade will be rebroadcast on WBRZ+ at 3 p.m. on Sunday and 1 p.m. on Monday — St. Patrick's Day.