Mary WalshThe Irish Pastoral Centre will honor Mary Walsh at its annual fundraising banquet on Sat., Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Florian Hall in Dorchester. The event will include live music and dancing with a performance by the group Devri.

Tickets and sponsorships can be arranged by visiting ipcboston.org.

Mary (O’Malley) Walsh was born in the small Gaelic speaking village of Rosmuc, Co. Galway. The eldest of seven children of Joe and Mary Anne O’Malley, she moved to Dublin at age 15, where she worked for a year and a half before emigrating to the United States.

It was at the Intercolonial dance hall on Dudley Street in Boston that Mary met her husband to be, John Walsh. John had also come over from his family home in Carna, Ireland only 14 miles from her own, to find work in America. After a two year courtship, they were married in 1965 and made their home on Taft Street in Dorchester. There they raised two sons, Martin and John.

Once married, along with raising the children, Mary worked as a home health aide. Her husband John was a Union Laborer at Local 223 who was very involved in union issues and the politics surrounding them. Her son Martin, following in his father’s footsteps, worked for the union and later became a State Representative. His campaign for Mayor of Boston brought Mary more fully into the world of politics, and she was happy to campaign for him, speaking to Senior Groups throughout Boston about the importance of electing Martin to do the job.

The Irish Pastoral Centre, based at 15 Rita Rd. in Dorchester, is a “parish without boundaries” now led by Fr. Dan Finn.