By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the voice
Sandy McCauley, a long-standing member and volunteer of the West Haven Irish American Club and the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, has been named West Haven’s Irishwoman of the Year.
McCauley, a former longtime West Haven school nurse, will receive the honor two days before St. Patrick’s Day during the city’s 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day SANDY MCCAULEYCelebration at noon March 15.
The West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee will fete the city’s top Irishwoman by hanging a green street sign designating City Hall’s Campbell Avenue entrance as “Sandy McCauley Square” for a year.
Last year’s recipient, retired West Shore fire Capt. Richard “Woody” Beirne, will take home his sign at the start of the ceremony.
The “Irish Person of the Year” award is bestowed annually on an Irish resident or couple who personifies service in the city’s close-knit Irish community.
“My family’s Irish heritage has been such a big part of my life in the West Haven community,” said McCauley, a city resident since 1966. “I am proud, humbled and honored to be chosen to represent all of the kind, generous and amazing Irish folks in our city as the 2024 West Haven Irish Person of the Year.”
McCauley will toast her Irish lineage with dozens of friends and loved ones, along with an array of shamrock-clad dignitaries and descendants of folks from the Emerald Isle.
Accompanied by Celtic music played by bagpipers and drummers, the West Haven Police Honor Guard will escort McCauley to the Campbell Avenue side of City Hall for her special recognition.
The St. Patrick’s Day Committee, co-chaired by the city’s 2011 Irish Couple of the Year, Glenn and Joanne Conlan, includes the lifeblood of West Haven’s Irish society, such as members of the Irish American Club and former honorees, as well as former and current city, fire and police officials.
“I’m thrilled to honor Sandy McCauley as our 2024 Irishwoman of the Year,” said Mayor Dorinda Borer, the city’s 2014 Irishwoman of the Year. “Sandy’s dedication to our city, her strong Irish roots and her tireless work as a school nurse and volunteer truly make her stand out. Whether she’s helping our schools, organizing events or supporting our Irish community, Sandy’s impact is felt by everyone around her.”
Borer continued: “Sandy’s not just receiving an award, she’s a symbol of what makes West Haven special. Her caring nature, hard work and love for our traditions shine bright. We’re lucky to have Sandy, and I’m proud to celebrate her as a shining example of the best of West Haven. Congratulations, Sandy, on this well-deserved honor!”
McCauley hails from an ancestry whose legacy is woven into the tapestry of the American fabric.
Nearly 200 years ago, sons and daughters of Erin, escaping the Great Famine, embraced the dream of a brighter future and embarked on a bold journey across the Atlantic to make their new home in a place of hope and promise. And when they landed on America’s shores, they shared the true treasures of their homeland: song and literature, humor and tradition, faith and family.
McCauley and her younger sister were born and raised in Huntington, Indiana. She graduated from Huntington Catholic High School in 1962, followed by the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. She moved to West Haven a year later.
McCauley lives in the city’s Richmond Avenue neighborhood and has two adult children: Terri Graf, of Lincoln, Massachusetts, and Sean McCauley, of Milford. She has three grandsons: Collin Graf, 21, Justin Graf, 16, and Logan McCauley, 8.
Sandy McCauley is an integral member and fundraiser of West Haven’s Irish club and Greater New Haven’s parade committee and has served as a marshal in many “wearin’ o’ the green” parades in downtown New Haven. She was last year’s recipient of the committee’s prestigious Cornelius Driscoll Award for outstanding public service.
Borer praised the civic-minded McCauley for “devoting her time and talents” to the deep-rooted Irish American community.
At the midday event, the mayor will present her with an Irish flag and a proclamation citing her dedication to her “spirited heritage.”
McCauley will also receive an embroidered “Irishwoman of the Year 2024” jacket.
West Haven’s Irish community takes great pride in the St. Patrick’s Day traditions handed down from each generation. Every March 17, those of Irish birth or lineage honor the memory of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who brought the message of Christ to the Irish people nearly 1,600 years ago. Teaching the word of God, St. Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock, with each leaf representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The need to preserve their Celtic identity in the U.S. led the Irish to form the Hibernian Society, which held the first St. Patrick’s Day parades, and local organizations, such as West Haven’s Irish club.
Members of the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums will lead the event’s opening procession, followed by remarks by St. Patrick’s Day Committee member David Coyle, the master of ceremonies.
Retired Pastor Mark R. Jette, the city’s 2010 Irishman of the Year, will offer an Irish blessing. Jette formerly served St. Lawrence and St. Paul churches in West Haven and Sacred Heart Church in Suffield.
Fiona Stewart, the queen of the 2013 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Irish national anthem, “Soldier’s Song,” followed by remarks by Borer.
McCauley, joined by her son and daughter-in-law, Erin Reilly McCauley, will then pull off a shroud revealing the rectangular sign.
Sandy McCauley is widely known for her work as a school nurse and volunteer. She served West Haven Public Schools for more than three decades, retiring in June 2023, and was a fixture at after-school enrichment activities. She continues to serve the school district as a substitute nurse.
McCauley was a member of Local 1547 of the West Haven Federation of Teachers and School Nurses and is a former president of the School Nurses union. She was recognized as an “Everyday Hero” in 2012 by the American Federation of Teachers union.
She is a former member of the Connecticut Association of School Nurses and was its School Nurse of the Year in 2000.
A self-described local and state history buff, McCauley serves as the treasurer of the West Haven Historical Society. She also helps raise funds for the society, headquartered in the historic Poli House at 686 Savin Ave.
McCauley is a longtime member of the Savin Rock Fireworks Committee and has served as a co-chair for several years. She is responsible for raising money and securing permits for the annual pyrotechnic show — the city’s largest one-day event, launched off the Bradley Point shoreline.
McCauley’s propensity for volunteerism has included serving as a Girl Scout troop leader, a member of the West Haven High School Band Parents Association and a member of the St. John Vianney Ladies’ Guild