By Stephanie Lennon
It seems like just yesterday that I was standing on Irish Center stage as Vince Gallagher serenaded me with the Mary from Dungloe song. Exactly one year later, I was just as excited for the annual Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe contest and Donegal Ball.
Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe chairperson, Coleen McCrea Katz, dubbed as our “Fairy Mary Mother,” and former Philadelphia Mary, Brittany Lough, kicked off the 2012 Philadelphia contest by organizing the 2012 participants for a meet and greet rehearsal at the Irish Center the Friday before the contest. This rehearsal was more of a chatter-filled pizza party as the contestants got to know each other. After a few hours of conversation, the girls parted ways, with a schedule of events in tow, to get a few winks of sleep before the big day.
The Irish Center witnessed the arrival of the seven beautiful and talented young Irish women as the contestants arrived at 5 p.m. as per strict instructions by Brittany Lough, our “Mary timekeeper.” The seven contestants, Melissa Bowers, Meghan Davis, Noreen Fanning, Kelly Haggerty, Brittany Killion, Maryellen McCarry, and Megan Sykes looked stunning in their ball gowns as they prepared for their private interview with the judges. Each contestant was truly unique yet all were equally qualified for the role as the 2012 Mary.
Mary Frances Fogg, Bob Hurst, and Cass Tinney had the most difficult task as they were the official judges of the event. They are actively involved in the Philadelphia Irish community and have dedicated many years to promoting Irish traditions and culture. Mary Frances Fogg is secretary for the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, a member of the Irish Society of Philadelphia, and a volunteer for the Hibernian Hunger Project.
Bob Hurst has been the president of the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame, the Danny Browne A.O.H. Division 80, and the Irish Memorial of Philadelphia. He has also served as director of the Commodore John Barry Club (Irish Center).
Cass Tinney is chairperson of the Delaware Valley branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and is a member of the Donegal Association, South Jersey Irish Society, the Ceili Group, the Timoney Irish Dancers and Irish Center.
After the private interviews with these qualified judges, the girls were introduced to the crowd for their onstage question. Following the onstage interview, the girls were able to relax and enjoy delicious food, courtesy of Micky Kavanaugh, good music, courtesy of the Willie Lynch Band, and a good time with family and friends. The time passed quite quickly as the craic was brilliant.
The culmination began after the grand march shortly before midnight. Bernadette Browne, the evening’s emcee, opened the envelope containing the names of the runners up. Excitement ensued as she announced 2nd runner up, Meagan Sykes, 1st runner up, Brittany Killion, and after a long pause, the 2012 Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe, Meghan Davis. Meghan, a vocalist and harpist with a Master of Music from Temple University, was crowned as the 2012 Mary. Her family hails from Counties Mayo and Cork.
After what seemed like hours and hours of pictures, Meghan and I had some tea and cakes, which gave us the opportunity to talk about her win. She explained she was “in shock,” to which I explained that that feeling will last a long time. I don’t think that feeling of excitement totally ever disappeared for me and I still get a thrill every time I talk about my experience as the 2011 Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe.