Celebrating 30 years of the Aisling Irish Community Center
What a night! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Aisling Center’s 30th Anniversary Dinner Dance!
From touching tributes by family and friends to a dance floor filled with energy courtesy of the McLean Avenue Band, the evening was filled with special memories, great fun, and a chance to reflect on the Aisling Center’s journey over the past three decades.
A special thank you to our Platinum Sponsors, Liffey Van Lines and the Emerald Guild Society, for their incredible support of the event and of our center.
Our heartfelt thanks also go to our Gold Sponsors; The Tara Circle, Cambridge Landscaping, Alpha Construction & Painting, Inc., The MGF Group, and Prime Construction Management, LLC; our Silver Sponsors; Seamus & Kathy Galvin and Specialty Construction System, Inc. and our Patron Sponsors; Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Orange Bank & Trust Company, Nu-Way Heating and Cooling, Inc., Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, and Med-Tek Contracting, Inc.
To our amazing honorees, Pete, Pauline, and John; it was a privilege to celebrate you on Friday evening. Thank you for all you have contributed to our community and for the example you continue to set.
John Keegan was born and raised in County Longford, Ireland, and comes from a family of ten. He began working at the age of 13 in the restaurant business at the Rustic Inn in Abbeyshrule, County Longford, before attending Rockwell Catering College in County Tipperary at 16 years old. John graduated in 1982 with qualifications in bartending and waiter service. In 1985, John moved to New York City in search of new opportunities. Over the years, he worked in a variety of industries, including construction and driving cabs, before returning to bartending, which he dedicated over 30 years to. While bartending, John also began working in the residential management field and eventually became a Resident Manager at a luxury building in Brooklyn, and currently oversees three residential buildings on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
In 1997, John met his wife, Robin, and they have been happily married for 28 years. In 2003, they welcomed their son, Patrick, who recently graduated from Trinity College Dublin. John joined the Emerald Guild Society in 2018 and, in 2024, became its 13th President. During his leadership, the Emerald Guild have supported numerous charitable organizations and causes, including Wounded Warrior Project, the Wheelchair Association, Breast Cancer Awareness initiatives, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and most notably the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
Pauline Galvin is a lifelong Yonkers resident, the youngest of six children, and the daughter of immigrants from County Roscommon who arrived in 1949. A graduate of Fordham University and New York Law School, she is an attorney whose practice focuses on real estate, trusts, and estates. She has served in numerous public roles, including Counsel to the Yonkers City Council, Counsel to then-Assemblyman Michael J. Spano, and Civil Service Commissioner for the City of Yonkers.
Active in politics and community service from a young age, Pauline served 22 years as a Democratic State Committeewoman and became the youngest Chairperson of the Yonkers Democratic City Committee at age 30. She currently serves as Chairwoman of the Yonkers Planning Board, a board member of Richmond Community Services, and Treasurer of the Untermyer Performing Arts Council. In addition, Pauline serves as a member of the McLean Avenue Merchants Association.
Peter (Pete) Connolly was born and raised in Yonkers, where he still resides. Pete is the son of Ann
(Varley) and the late Peter Connolly, hailing from Galway and Monaghan respectively. During high school, he worked at his father’s flooring company. Pete continued working in the wood flooring industry while attending night classes at Westchester Community College. To this day, he works at Connolly Floors. Pete was hired as an FDNY firefighter in September 2005. Pete then joined the Yonkers Fire Department in September 2007. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2013, Captain in 2020, and Assistant Chief in 2024. He is currently assigned to Battalion 2 on Fortfield Avenue in Yonkers.
He and his wife, Deirdre Hogan, recently celebrated their 20th anniversary of marriage. They have three children: Desmond (15), Evelyn (14), and Gavin (12). Pete is a member of the Yonkers Fire Holy Name Society. His volunteer efforts include Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, Yonkers Office of The Aging, the Matthew Wallace Food Pantry, and Hogs for Hope.