Irish Need Not Parade

The MTA will keep the Irish out of Manhattan for St. Patrick’s Day as the 7 train will be shut down for six consecutive weekends starting this weekend:

Starting Feb. 10 and continuing for the following six weekends, the No. 7 will be largely shut down as Transit Authority crews do signal and track work, officials said.

The first weekend there will be no trains between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza. After that, there will be no trains from 74th St./Broadway in Queens to Times Square.

TA spokesman Paul Fleuranges said the work is part of the agency’s long-term plan for maintenance and upgrades, including replacing tracks, signals and rickety trains.

“Without these investments, the system would not be near as reliable as it is today,” he said. “With this investment comes a price, and that is disruptions in normal service. For that we apologize.”

Michael Murphy, 28, a public relations executive from Queens, couldn’t believe that TA would schedule such work for St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on a Saturday this year, when so many New Yorkers will be heading to the parade.

“This is completely outrageous,” he said. “Many people will miss the parade because of the boneheads at the MTA.”