Irish America rolled out the green carpet for Olympic gold medal winner Mary Peters at a special Nollaig na mBan celebration in Washington D.C. last week to mark the close of the Christmas season.
Acclaimed for her 1972 Munich Olympics pentathlon heroics, Lady Mary Peters has gone on to champion sports participation in the North of Ireland, founding a trust to provide a financial leg-up for young athletes.
At the Irish American Partnership 24-carat céad míle fáilte, Peters was feted as the 2025 inductee to a Nollaig na mBan ('Women's Christmas') fellowship that includes former President Mary McAleese and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power.
Explained Partnership President Mary Sugrue, who also presented Peters with a $10,000 check for her sports charity: "We have proudly reclaimed Nollaig na mBan as an opportunity to recognize women’s leadership and its indelible impact in our communities and our world. We were honored to welcome Lady Mary as our vanguard of women’s leadership. Her illustrious career reflects her extraordinary ability to inspire, and her unwavering dedication to her sport." PODIUM PLACES: Lady Mary Peters with guests at the IAP breakfast
In an emotional address in what was her first engagement with Irish America, Peters recalled her determination to bring back gold from the '72 Olympics. "I went to Munich believing I could win," she said. "For the first time in my life, I really, really wanted to win to raise the profile of Northern Ireland as a positive place."
She added: "I had a long journey, and a fruitful one, being able to give back to the community which had accepted me as an adopted daughter. I love meeting young people and talking to them, giving them the inspiration that I was a very humble little girl that was able to make it to the top and stand on that podium."
It was a delight to celebrate #NollaignamBan with the @Irishaporg in Washington D.C. The event honoured inspirational Olympic Champion and founder of @MaryPetersTrust Lady Mary Peters and the invaluable work and leadership of women in our communities. pic.twitter.com/0oyppgupYa
— Andrea Haughian (@Andrea_Haughian) January 9, 2025
Also attending the Nollaig na mBan salute were Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Geraldine Byrne Nason and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon.
