WEST SPRINGFIELD — Among the floats, high school bands and police and fire departments marching in the 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade will be one proud Irish woman representing the town she loves. Mary Anne Flaherty, well known in West Springfield for her volunteerism and giving spirit, was named the town’s parade marshal for the 2025 parade.
The towns of Agawam, Chicopee, Easthampton, Northampton, Springfield, Westfield and West Springfield join Holyoke for the parade each year. West Springfield has been a part of the parade for several decades. Flaherty’s father was West Springfield’s parade marshal in 1991, and her brother was named to the role in 2019. He kept the title throughout the years the coronavirus pandemic forced the parade to go on hiatus. It came back in 2022. Meanwhile, her mother was the inaugural Senior Colleen.
Being West Springfield’s parade marshal is not the only tradition in Flaherty’s family. She said her father, a former fire department chief, always encouraged her and her five siblings to help with events and charities. As children, she said they enjoyed helping because they were able to spend time with their father.
Flaherty’s father attended the Boys & Girls Club and served on the board of the club as an adult. Flaherty was also a “club kid.” When her father wanted to step back from his duties on the board, he asked her to replace him. She has served since 2002 and is the only woman on the club’s executive board. The board fundraises through events, such as the Golf Fore Our Kids tournament and the Holiday Tour of Homes. Of the latter, Flaherty said, “It’s the way [people] get together for the season.”
Flaherty said the local Lions Club is “good to the [Boys & Girls] Club,” so board members help at the Lions Club tent during the Big E. She also helps with the West Springfield High School Irish Club’s cultural exchange with Dingle, Ireland, and encouraging Irish traditions among students.
Another place Flaherty donates her time is at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. For the past six years, she has helped deliver 150 meals every month to people in need. When social distancing was enforced during COVID-19, Flaherty helped give communion to parishioners and delivered readings at mass when the pastor lost his voice.
“It was nice to be able to help. I met a lot of people, even though I could only see their eyes” over their masks, she said. “People appreciated that there were volunteers to help make it safe to go to church.”
Flaherty finds time to volunteer, despite a full-time job as a paralegal for a law firm in Springfield. She will often volunteer before or after work, or during her lunch breaks.
Reflecting on her volunteer efforts, she said, “I have fun doing it. I don’t find that it’s a chore. I enjoy helping people. I enjoy being involved. I’m not one to sit on the sidelines.” She added that volunteering means, “You can take pride in what you’ve accomplished.”
Flaherty said she is flattered that she was even nominated to be parade marshal and was shocked that she was unanimously chosen.
While not serving on the West Springfield Parade Committee in an official capacity, Flaherty gives her time to that organization, as well. She enjoys the parade floats West Springfield contributes each year. She explained that middle schoolers participate in a contest to design the float and the committee “make that happen.” The floats are judged, and she said, “It’s not until they bring the floats up the ramp, and you don’t find out if you won an award until it hits the road.” She once worked on a float that was named, in part, after her father. “Everything ends up being an extension of your family,” she said.
Flaherty said, “The Irish season, it’s the best season of the year.” Her paternal grandparents and maternal great grandparents emigrated from Ireland to the United States. She said she is “very proud” of her heritage.
The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade is on March 23, 2025.
