Annals of immigrant history: Bay Ridge street name honors Irish American activist immigrant, volunteer

BAY RIDGE — Honoring a local leader, the corner of Fourth Avenue and 95th Street was co-named after community leader Mary Nolan on Sunday, April 27.

She died in August 2023 at the age of 89.

The morning ceremony unveiled the new sign, which reads, “Mary Nolan’s Way.” It also included the singing of the Irish National Anthem and the “Star-Spangled Banner” by John Houlihan, bagpiper Tom Alverson and speeches.

Nolan had a passion for the Bay Ridge and Irish community. She emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in 1953 and moved to the neighborhood after briefly living in Park Slope.

According to her obituary, she was a congregant of Saint Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church for 57 years and worked for nearly 30 years as a clerk at a Bay Ridge off-track betting site. 

Nolan was a founding member of the Brooklyn-Staten Island Chapter of the Irish Immigration Reform Committee and the Bay Ridge Irish American Action Association. She also was a Community Board 10 member and served on the Board of Directors for the Emerald Isle Immigration Center (EIIC).

The EIIC is a not-for-profit entity created to exercise and protect the privileges and interests of the community. It aims to foster a healthy interest in the civic affairs of the community, help immigrants acquire U.S. citizenship and inquire into civic abuses.

Nolan volunteered at the Commodore Barry Club of Brooklyn. Founded in 1951, the purpose of the club is to honor the memory of and to promote interest in Commodore John Barry, the Irish-born Revolutionary War hero and father of the American Navy, as well as other aspects of Irish American history. 

Speeches were made by Councilmember Justin Brannan, president of the Commodore Barry Club of Brooklyn Matt Hogan, former Councilmember Sal Albanese and family member Cara Piasecki.

“Mary loved this community and the people in it, and she was fearless in demanding the best of the people who served it,” said Brannan. “She earned the respect of many powerful politicians, and they rightfully took it extremely seriously when she had something to say. Indeed, when Mary spoke, you listened. And Mary was always going to tell you like it is. She suffered no fools.”

Nolan was recognized for her work. In 2010, she received the Shining Star Award from Catholic Migration Services, and in 2014, she received the O’Dwyer Award for Public Service. She was an honored dignitary at the commissioning of the U.S.S. Barry in 1992.

“Mary never forgot where she came from and fought for immigrant rights,” Brannan said. “She was an aficionado of Irish music and culture, a fine glass of wine, and the company of her family and friends. Mary had that famous Irish quick wit and a razor-sharp tongue. In all her years, Mary was never once accused of holding back her opinion. For that, she was valued in high regard. Mary’s name carried big time weight not only in the streets of Bay Ridge but all across the Brooklyn Irish community and beyond.”