LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Maureen Donachie upon the occasion of
her designation as a Deputy Grand Marshal of the 37th Annual Queens
County St. Patrick's Day Parade, March 3, 2012

WHEREAS, St. Patrick's Day is a time for people of all nationalities and
generations to assemble and celebrate the rich culture and heritage of
the Irish people throughout these United States; and
WHEREAS, A St. Patrick's Day Parade reflects and records the ongoing
history of the United States and Ireland, and highlights the many
contributions and historical accomplishments of the Irish community in
this diverse land; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Maureen Dona-
chie upon the occasion of being named a Deputy Grand Marshal of the 37th
Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade, to be held on Saturday,
March 3, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Also being honored as Deputy Grand Marshals at this year's
Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade are Mary Ellen Murray, Maurice
Landers, Ralph Reed, Richard Keane, Mark C. Edwards, Laura Sporny,
Sister Agnes White, C.S.J., Eileen McDonald, and Michael Charles
Schramm, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, In addition, the 37th Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day
Parade will honor Kevin O'Brien as Grand Marshal of the parade, Thomas
Flood and Eileen Long-Chelales as Honorary Grand Marshals and Edward
Rice and Paddy McCarthy as Gaels of the Year; and
WHEREAS, All of this year's honorees are fittingly being recognized
for their service in their individual fields to the Irish and Irish
Americans throughout New York State; and
WHEREAS, Maureen Donachie was raised in northeastern Connecticut,
where she and her three brothers participated in Irish step-dancing for
many years; she always had an affinity for Irish traditional music and
her father would return from each of his many business trips to New York
City and Chicago with a new ceili band recording, a collection Maureen
still has; and
WHEREAS, While in graduate school, she danced with a choreography team
from Boston which won a third place medal in the Oireachtas Rince na
Cruinne, the Irish dancing world championship, the first team from the
United States ever to do so; and
WHEREAS, Maureen Donachie was introduced to Comhaltas Ceoltoiri
Eireann (CCE), the international cultural group dedicated to the preser-
vation of the Irish music, dance, language and song, in the late 1970s
while attending graduate school in Worcester, Massachusetts; she partic-
ipated in many events sponsored by the Hanafin-Cooley Branch in Boston
and maintains many friendships there to this day and, after completing
her education, she moved back to Connecticut and became active in the
local Curry-Seery Branch; and
WHEREAS, Maureen Donachie settled in New York City in 1997, where she
works as a health care human resources and administrative professional
with extensive experience in the field of health care, and has been an
active member of CCEs in the Tri-State area, including serving on the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Board since 2002; and
WHEREAS, She joined the Big Apple Branch New York in 2002, served as
its Secretary for six years, and is currently serving a third term as
the Chair of the Branch; all Branch events are organized in collab-
oration with the New York Irish Centre of Queens, with which Maureen
established a connection shortly after the Centre opened in 2005; and
WHEREAS, Under Maureen Donachie's leadership the Branch's membership
has tripled over the past five years; she has planned, organized, and

hosted several concert fundraisers, a highly successful monthly ceili (a
social gathering which often includes step-dancing), as well as St.
Patrick's Night socials which benefit the New York Irish Centre of
Queens; weekly Irish language lessons are led by the Branch Treorai na
Gaeilge and, in January 2011, the Branch revived its monthly music seis-
iun, a kind of jam session and informal social gathering which has
become yet another welcoming, friendly event; and
WHEREAS, One of the highlights of recent Branch history occurred in
October 2009 when, with Maureen Donachie's guidance and hard work, the
Branch hosted a group of sixty musicians and family members from the
Dublin CCE who took part in a week of concerts, seisiuns, and sightsee-
ing and shared traditional music with local musicians and students; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her work with CCE, Maureen Donachie estab-
lished and maintains an extensive on-line web calendar of Irish tradi-
tional music, dance and language activities which is a labor of love for
her and includes event listings from the Albany/Danbury area to northern
Virginia, as well as annual summer schools and festivals in the United
States and Ireland; in 2007, she created a weekly e-letter, as well, to
summarize Tri-State events; and
WHEREAS, Maureen Donachie is widely recognized for her generosity in
sharing her time, talents, and contacts to promote the Irish cultural
traditions which have brought her so much enjoyment throughout her life;
and
WHEREAS, Maureen Donachie truly embodies the spirit and the cherished
ideals and values of Irish-Americans of this great State and nation; it
is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individuals of such
noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should
be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of the great State of
New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Maureen Donachie upon the occasion of her designation as a Deputy
Grand Marshal of the 37th Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade,
to be held on March 3, 2012; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Maureen Donachie.