The 2025 Springfield colleen Ayslin Dziedzic and her court on their float titled “Springfield’s Dr. Seuss.”
Reminder Publishing file photo
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee has been working over the past year to bring the annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities to the community.
Committee President Caitlyn Dubay-Martin said the committee holds meetings from August to May and devotes a lot of time to preparing every aspect, such as designing the float, voting on the award winners, getting colleen applications out and preparing for the coronation ball and marshal’s reception.
“It’s not really a rush moment,” Dubay-Martin said. “We take our time and put all of our time into multiple different events and being able to represent our Irish culture at the events.”
On Feb. 7, the committee hosted the annual coronation ball, where the 2026 colleen is crowned and members of the community are recognized for their dedication to Springfield’s Irish Heritage.
Dubay-Martin said the Coronation Ball Sub-Committee does a fantastic job at handling every aspect, such as the venue and caterers, and are able to see it all come together on the night of.
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said in a press release, “This is always a beautiful night with so much to be proud of. Thank you to the Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee and all involved for your efforts to keep these important cultural traditions alive.”
Minnechaug Regional High School senior Anna O’Toole was crowned as the 2026 Springfield colleen, with finalists Sophia Dow, Anna Flanagan, Siobhan MacDonnell and Emma Westbrooks in the court. For the first time this year, each finalist received a $500 scholarship from Wellpoint. Dow was also selected to receive the annual Mossie & Kathleen Murphy Scholarship, recognizing “dedication to heritage, education and community,” according to the press release.
“The ladies who were chosen as our five finalists have already done such an amazing job representing Springfield and the surrounding towns,” Dubay-Martin said. “The same goes for our award winners. We are super grateful to have this group of award winners this year, they are absolutely fantastic and everyone seems to get along super well, which is something we are always grateful for.”
The program for the 2026 coronation ball provided descriptions of each award and who the award winners are.
Dubay-Martin said the parade marshal leads the Springfield contingent through the streets of Holyoke during the parade. Also included in the parade are local schools, bands and sports teams.
The role this year went to Beth Hawley, a 26 year East Springfield resident. Hawley grew up in East Forest Park and has had a career in teaching since 1985, getting her start at St. Bernadette School in Hollywood, Florida.
Hawley returned to Western Massachusetts in 1986, where she began a 24-year chapter at Our Lady of Hope School, teaching grades four through eight, serving as director of development and directing the extended care and summer programs. Since 2023, she has been principal at St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Springfield. Hawley has also coached soccer, basketball and softball at the high school and collegiate levels.
The 2026 John & Agnes Burke Award is in honor of John and Agnes’ memory and their lifelong commitment to Irish heritage. Both were also active members of the Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee. The award is presented to those who make “outstanding contributions to the Irish people of the City of Springfield,” the program said.
This award was presented to Springfield native, Irish citizen and current Wilbraham resident, John Ford. Ford has been the president of the East Longmeadow Soccer Association for 14 years and a soccer coach for Chicopee AJACS, Western United and Stars of MA. He is also a member of the John Boyle O’Reilly Club and serves on the Gaelic Athletic Association Committee, honor guard, players guild and works as the Ireland trip co-coordinator.
Ford is also a 39-year coach for the Springfield and Massachusetts’ Special Olympics team, taking the 1999 Special Olympics soccer players to Ireland for the goodwill soccer tour. He also took the 2009 U14 girls team to Ireland for the Limerick Cup Tourney.
Paul G. Caron founded the Springfield colleen contest in 1968 and the award in his honor is presented each year to an individual who has contributed greatly to the greater Springfield community. This year, the Paul G. Caron Award was presented to Joe Christofori.
Christofori grew up in Hungry Hill and found a 35-year-long career in the film industry, working on films, documentaries, commercials and music videos. Since 2006, he has traveled to Ireland nearly every year, managing the John Boyle O’Reilly Club tours alongside Ford in recent years.
Christofori also leads the Hungry Hill hikers on the 10k Holyoke Road Race to “help celebrate the High Holiday, get people out and earn their pints for the day’s festivities,” the program said. He also drives his 1968 Newport convertible in the parade to help award winners who may not be able to physically march.
The final award, the Mary B. Troy Award, honors longtime Committee member Mary B. Troy, a native of Hungry Hill and daughter of Irish immigrants Michael and Bridget Begley.
“She was immensely proud of her Irish heritage and loved and lived it every day,” the program said. “Mary worked selflessly to preserve and promote Irish cultural activities and the Irish spirit.”
City Line Cafe, a historic Springfield Irish pub, received the award this year. City Line opened in 1939 and is one of the oldest bars in Springfield. Marty Cunningham, a standing member in the Irish community, purchased the bar in 2013 and continues to honor Irish history. Each Wednesday, City Line hosts a traditional Irish music session with a rotating group of musicians.
The committee still has plenty of events coming up, such as a “Battle of the Parade Committees: Springfield vs. Agawam” on March 12 at 6 p.m. A range of events will be starting at 9 a.m. on March 17 and include mass at Sacred Heart Church, a flag raising at City Hall, lunch at the Student Prince and Fort Restaurant and “Shin Dig on the Hill” at the Hungry Hill center.
The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race will be held on March 21 at 1 p.m. while the annual St. Patrick’s Parade takes place on March 22 at 10 a.m. and will feature each award winner.
