Jeff Walsh after being named the 2025 O’Connell Award winner by the Holyoke Parade Committee.
Photo credit: Holyoke Parade Committee
HOLYOKE — The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke announced that Jeff Walsh is the 61st recipient of the O’Connell Award.
The George E. O’Connell Award is given to a member of the Parade Committee who has made significant contributions to the fundraising efforts of the parade.
The announcement was made on Nov. 12 at the Parade Committee’s monthly meeting.
Walsh shared his thoughts on receiving the award and said, “I’m honored to have been chosen. There are many others who are also deserving. I take a great deal of pride in this. When I see the list of those who have won before me. There are some great people on that list. I’m proud to be able to stand among them. I was really surprised.”
Since joining the St. Patrick’s Committee, Walsh has helped in raising needed funds for the parade, whether as co-chair of the Mike Ahearn Golf Tournament or other fundraising events.
He said, “My main purpose was to help out in fundraising,” Walsh said. “I had worked on golf tournaments in the past for Blessed Sacrament School. Mike Ahearn asked me to help out with the tournament he ran for the Parade Committee. After Mike passed away, I miss him. Such a great guy, I became a co-chair of that event with Tim and Johnny Driscoll.”
The Parade Committee said Walsh is always there to lend a hand wherever needed on Road Race and Parade Day year after year. Walsh’s passion for music is what compelled him to create and bring before the membership in 2019 an entirely new event, known as “Marshal Mania.”
Walsh said he came up with the idea for the event after going to see a U2 tribute band in Springfield.
“I was talking about it after a meeting with a few of the members, Steph Joyce, Devin Sheehan and Johnny Driscoll. They said that sounds like a fundraising idea but because they were a U2 tribute band, we had the Irish hook for the St Patrick’s Day Parade and with that Marshal Mania was born,” Walsh said.
This concert event traditionally hosted the first weekend in March and has become an annual kick-off for Holyoke to begin celebrating homecoming weekend. It is one of the committee’s key fundraising events for the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade.
Jeff’s involvement with the committee goes back to 2017 when his daughter, Margaret Walsh, was named the Grand Colleen.
He said he enjoys helping with the event in any capacity because “we all take great pride in helping to put on one of the biggest and best St Patrick’s Day Parades, and our Road Race, in the country. We know how important it is for the community, both the families and local businesses.”
Since then, the committee has been grateful to Walsh and his family for their support and Parade President John Beaulieu talked more about Walsh.
He said, “Jeff Walsh is one of our most hard-working and dedicated members. Fundraising is essential for putting on parade weekend and without the support of our sponsors and for members like Jeff Walsh, the parade would not be possible. I’m so grateful to him and I look forward to seeing his family march in the parade on March 22, 2025.”
Walsh will be honored at the Coronation Ball and Awards Dinner in February 2025.
Tickets and more information are available online at holyokestpatricksparade.com.
The 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade will be hosted on Sunday, March 23 and the 48th Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race will be hosted on Saturday, March 22, 2025.
Walsh said he looks forward to each event and added, “I am looking forward to marching with my family along with fellow award winners. We hope to make Holyoke proud. It really is a great homecoming weekend. I can’t wait.”
For more information on the parade and upcoming events, readers can visit the website at holyokestpatricksparade.com.
