Community leaders, family and friends gathered on April 27 to officially rename the corner of 95th Street and Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge after Mary Nolan, a longtime neighborhood fixture known for her fierce commitment to service, justice and community.
The sunny Sunday ceremony was led by Council Member Justin Brannan, who reflected on Nolan’s lasting impact on Bay Ridge and beyond.
“For me, having grown up just a few blocks from here, I count my lucky stars every day that I have the tremendous privilege of representing this amazing community in the New York City Council,” Brannan said. “And so, it is an honor to join you all to celebrate the renaming of this street in honor of our dear friend, the inimitable Mary Nolan.”
Nolan was born in 1934 in County Limerick, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States in 1953. After a brief stay in Park Slope, where she met her future husband, Daniel Nolan of Nenagh, County Tipperary, she settled in Bay Ridge. The couple married in 1959 and, by 1965, had moved to southern Brooklyn with their four children: John, Maureen, Donal and Carol.
Over the decades, Nolan became a well-known and respected community leader, serving on Community Board 10, leading the Commodore Barry Club of Brooklyn for more than 50 years, and co-founding both the Brooklyn Irish American Immigration Reform Movement and the Brooklyn Irish Shamrocks football team. She worked for decades as a clerk at Off Track Betting, and was awarded for her local leadership.
Nolan was named one of Brooklyn’s Extraordinary Women in 2006, received the Shining Star Award from Catholic Migration Services in 2010, and was honored with the O’Dwyer Award for Public Service in 2014. In 1992, she served as an honored dignitary at the commissioning of the U.S.S. Barry.
Brannan noted that street renamings are rare, and reserved for those who make a profound and lasting difference.
“Not everyone leaves such a lasting and universal impact on a community that they warrant a street to be named after them — a street sign that will outlive all of us here today,” he said. “But with Mary, there was really no question and no hesitation. Everyone knows Mary deserves this.”
Nolan was known not just for her public service, but for her candidness and authenticity.
“When Mary spoke, you listened. And Mary was always going to tell you like it is. She suffered no fools,” Brannan said.
Family, faith, and tradition were the cornerstones of Nolan’s life. A devoted parishioner of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, she raised four children while remaining deeply involved in local civic and political life. Brannan also praised the Nolan family for carrying on her legacy, telling them, “You have all done so much to keep Mary’s memory and legacy alive.”
The council member shared his own memories of Nolan, recalling long conversations spent in her living room and the importance of earning — and keeping — her approval.
“Over the years I was lucky enough to spend many hours in Mary’s little living room just listening to her tell stories. I always did my best to make Mary proud and I did not want to be on her bad side, so getting her seal of approval was a very big deal,” Brannan said. “But once you earned it, from that moment on, she was as loyal as a stone. Keeping tradition alive was incredibly important to Mary, but she embraced the here and now with equal enthusiasm.”
Nolan’s dedication to immigrant rights, her love of Irish culture, and her sharp wit made her a beloved figure not only in Bay Ridge but across the Brooklyn Irish community and beyond. “Mary’s name carried big-time weight not only in the streets of Bay Ridge but all across the Brooklyn Irish community and beyond,” the pol added.
She died on Aug. 17, 2023, at the age of 89.
Sunday’s street renaming ceremony was kicked off by a performance by bagpiper Tom Alverson and the singing of both the Irish and American national anthems by John Houlihan. Matt Hogan, president of the Commodore Barry Club of Brooklyn, and family member Cara Piasecki also offered remarks honoring Nolan’s legacy.
As the new street sign was unveiled, attendees applauded, celebrating a permanent tribute to a woman whose life of service left a lasting impact on her community.
“Mary left her mark on the hearts and minds of our community,” Brannan said. “Today, we unveil a street sign that will cement Mary’s legacy in this community, and in this city, forever.”
Additional reporting by Arthur de Gaeta
