When I was growing up, being Irish meant we had a shamrock painted at the end of our driveway.

It meant going to Irish dance lessons every Saturday at the John Boyle O’Reilly Club.

It meant once a year wearing green clothes, sitting with my family at the Holyoke parade, and waiting patiently for my father to pass us with all the other firefighters so that my sister, my mother, and I could run out into the street and give him a quick kiss has he marched by.

It meant singing Irish songs with my family as an Irish band played in the living room at my uncle’s house on Christmas day.

As I have matured, I realize that my Irish heritage means much more then this. My Irish heritage is rooted deeply in family traditions; it has given me a strong bond with my family. It has so much to do with the time my family and me spend together talking, laughing, crying, and catching up on our lives since the last time we were all together.

Our Thanksgiving Day family football game and special family gatherings that celebrate the relationships of cousins and honor parents who are no longer with us are just a few examples of the positive family orientated events that take place within my extended family.

None of these family gatherings would be complete without the stories of long ago hardships and victories of my Irish ancestors whose parents came here to find a better life. These stories remind me that you must work hard and keep your family as close to you as possible. My Irish heritage has shaped who I am today in countless ways.

This year a new chapter in my Irish heritage began.

I reached for my childhood dream of being the Springfield Colleen. I submitted an application for the Colleen contest in late November that included an essay explaining what my Irish heritage means to me. On January 3, 2015 I went through two interviews, a private interview in front of three judges and a public interview in front of family, friends and community members.

That night I was chosen from a group of eighteen girls to represent the city of Springfield as part of the 2015 Colleen Court, which includes five members, including the Colleen, who this year is my friend Molly Sullivan. Besides myself, the court consists of Madeline Ross, Sara Rooke and Kathleen Clark.

This experience has been one of the most rewarding and exciting of my life. I have had the pleasure of attending dozens of events that all have the common theme of honoring the Irish culture with people from all walks of life.

One of the best days of this wonderful time has been St. Patrick’s Day.

We began our day with breakfast at the legendary O’Brian’s Corner; we then traveled by limousine to mass at the historic Sacred Heart Church. Next, we attended the Irish Flag-raising on the front steps of Springfield City Hall, followed by a reception in a beautiful marble hall in the upper chambers of the building. Finally, this incredible day came to a close with a delicious lunch at the landmark Fort Restaurant.

This day was special because not only was it spent with my family and new friends but also with many members of the community who all shared my passion and love for the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and the history of our ancestors.

I had the honor and amazing privilege of riding on a float in the 64^th St. Patrick Day Parade on March 22nd. My entire family gathered at a breakfast celebration in my honor given by my Aunt Kelly before the parade. It was touching to see my friends and family holding a banner with my name and picture on it, to hear my friends and family calling my name, and to see them running into the street to take my picture on the float.

It’s a memory of a lifetime. This wonderful time has allowed me to form new friendships and also allowed me to reconnect with elementary school friends. It has given me the ability to become part of the parade committee, and most importantly propelled me to want to continue to serve the Irish community.

It would have been amazing to win and be the actual Colleen for 2015, but, I feel as though not winning and just being a part of the Court was a gift. It has given me a new perspective on myself and a new perspective on what it means to be Irish.

Molly McQuade is a sophomore at AIC, majoring in occupational science. She was selected to be in the Springfield St. Patrick’s Colleen Court this year.