Bay Ridge
’Tis a grand day for Commodore Barry Club president Mary Nolan, winner of the Paul O’Dwyer Award presented annually in memory of the late, politician, past president of the New York City Council, and native of Mayo County, Ireland.
O’Dwyer‘s son Brian presented our pal Mary with the esteemed accolade at the Irish Fair last month, where event chairman Martin Cottingham and Standing O regular state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) presented her with an additional certificate of recognition for her long-standing work in the community.
Mary’s granddaughters Cara and Caitlin joined Judge John Ingram, Donal Nolan, Colleen Queen Tara Muldoon, and Jim Sullivan, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who shared in the feile and morthaispeantas — that’s festival and expo to you and me.
An immigrant of County Limerick, Mary planted her feet on our shores in 1953. She met her future husband, the late Daniel Nolan, in Park Slope, and since then has been a Brooklyn girl at heart.
Mary wears many hats in the community. She is a founding member of the Brooklyn-Staten Island chapter of the Immigration Reform Movement, serves on the Board of Directors of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in that other borough of Queens, and supports the Northern Island Civil Rights Association. In addition she sits on the Lay Advisory Board of the Brooklyn Diocesan Irish American Apostolate, and serves on Community Board 10.
Standing O offers an Irish toast to our Mary, “Slainte Chugat (health to you).”
Commodore Barry Club [(718) 833–3405; www.commodorebarryclubbrooklyn.org]
