The Anam C’ara Award
“Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.”
“Under the shelter of each other, people survive.”
“Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.”
“Under the shelter of each other, people survive.”
The Gaelic term Anam C’ara is translated as Soul Friend. It represents one who has bound themselves to another through an act of friendship and belonging. We recognize the contributions of those who have shared their time, treasures, and talents in giving back to the Community by preserving and promoting Lowell’s Irish Culture, and the teachings of the Acre neighborhood.
The following are the 2024 recipients of the Anam C’ara Award:
The following are the 2024 recipients of the Anam C’ara Award:
Alana Melanson
We’ve all heard the old adage, “If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it make a sound.” Apply that to Lowell Irish. “If Lowell Irish does something important but nobody knows, did we fulfill our mission of preserving our Irish heritage?” Well thanks in large part to people like Alana Melanson and her colleagues at The Lowell Sun, the word is getting out about Lowell Irish.
Alana is an award-winning journalist who has served as enterprise editor for the Lowell Sun since November 2021. While her roots did not begin in Greater Lowell, she has been sharing the region’s stories through her reporting since 2014. She joined the newspaper that September, first as a reporter dedicated to covering the town of Chelmsford, and later the city of Lowell. She previously worked for three years at The Sun’s smaller sister paper, the Sentinel & Enterprise, covering the city of Fitchburg.
Alana grew up in Grafton, daughter of Diane and the late Russ Melanson. She is a graduate of Grafton High School, and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UMass Amherst. Throughout her journalistic career, Alana has been recognized with numerous awards from the New England Newspaper & Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. Some of her awards include First Place in Obituaries and Second Place in Social Issues Feature Story in 2014, and she contributed heavily to The Sun’s First Place Right-to-Know award in 2015.
Alana has been married to her wonderful husband, Adam Casten, since 2017. They have lived in North Chelmsford since 2016, and welcomed their adorable rescue dog, Baci, in 2022. One of Alana’s favorite hobbies is genealogy. Through her research, she learned that her background isn’t just French Canadian and Polish, as she grew up believing: she has an Irish 3rd-great-grandfather, John McDermott, believed tobe from County Sligo, who settled in Quebec.
While we at Lowell Irish like to think Alana has a special spot in her heart for the Irish, that isn’t the case. Alana and her team cover the activities of the many cultural groups that make Lowell home and contribute to our diverse society. For that, we are grateful.
We’ve all heard the old adage, “If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it make a sound.” Apply that to Lowell Irish. “If Lowell Irish does something important but nobody knows, did we fulfill our mission of preserving our Irish heritage?” Well thanks in large part to people like Alana Melanson and her colleagues at The Lowell Sun, the word is getting out about Lowell Irish.
Alana is an award-winning journalist who has served as enterprise editor for the Lowell Sun since November 2021. While her roots did not begin in Greater Lowell, she has been sharing the region’s stories through her reporting since 2014. She joined the newspaper that September, first as a reporter dedicated to covering the town of Chelmsford, and later the city of Lowell. She previously worked for three years at The Sun’s smaller sister paper, the Sentinel & Enterprise, covering the city of Fitchburg.
Alana grew up in Grafton, daughter of Diane and the late Russ Melanson. She is a graduate of Grafton High School, and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UMass Amherst. Throughout her journalistic career, Alana has been recognized with numerous awards from the New England Newspaper & Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. Some of her awards include First Place in Obituaries and Second Place in Social Issues Feature Story in 2014, and she contributed heavily to The Sun’s First Place Right-to-Know award in 2015.
Alana has been married to her wonderful husband, Adam Casten, since 2017. They have lived in North Chelmsford since 2016, and welcomed their adorable rescue dog, Baci, in 2022. One of Alana’s favorite hobbies is genealogy. Through her research, she learned that her background isn’t just French Canadian and Polish, as she grew up believing: she has an Irish 3rd-great-grandfather, John McDermott, believed tobe from County Sligo, who settled in Quebec.
While we at Lowell Irish like to think Alana has a special spot in her heart for the Irish, that isn’t the case. Alana and her team cover the activities of the many cultural groups that make Lowell home and contribute to our diverse society. For that, we are grateful.
Mickey O'Keefe
Michael Timothy O’Keefe was born in Lowell on May 23, 1948. He was the youngest of nine siblings, which included John (1926), Frank (1928) Lillian (1930), Elizabeth (1932) Theresa (1933), Patricia (1935), Rita (1941) and Thomas (1944). His parents, Cornelius Timothy O’Keefe (son of Timothy Cornelius O’Keefe and Sarah McEvroy of County Cork Ireland) and Elizabeth Kelly (daughter of Michael Kelly and Elizabeth Bray of County Cork Ireland) were first generation Americans. Both were born in Lowell, Massachusetts. His father worked as a bricklayer while his mother worked in the mills. They were a devout, Irish Catholic family who shared strong core family values and like many Irish families of their generation, were an extremely welcoming and loving family. You could not enter or leave their home without a kiss and a hug. They may have struggled financially, but they welcomed all into their home and that willingness to help others was how Mickey lived the rest of his life. The O’Keefe’s were also proud parishioners of Saint Peter’s Church. They truly loved their Irish heritage and often spoke about the Irish toughness that would help them overcome any obstacle in life. They knew the
struggle their parents faced when they first arrived in America during the late 1800’s because at the time, the Irish were not treated fairly.
He didn’t have much money growing up, so he decided to start boxing at a young age. Boxing was a solid way to keep him off the streets and out of trouble. His lifelong mentor outside of his family was Lowell’s renowned boxing trainer Ray “Ouchie” McManus. Ouchie reaffirmed his family’s motto of treating everyone fairly, while never forgetting your Irish heritage. Mickey never forgot where he came from and always helped those less fortunate than him. Although he won the Silver Mittens and Golden Gloves championships during his boxing days, his proudest accomplishments were training countless fighters in the City of Lowell, to include Lowell’s famous “Irish” Mickey Ward.
Mickey grew up in Lowell having attended Saint Peter’s School and later Lowell High School, where he met the love of his life, Donna (Perrault) O’Keefe. They met at the age of 15 and both graduated from Lowell High School in 1967. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the United States Army, during the Vietnam conflict, but was stationed in Korea, in the demilitarization zone and served as a communications specialist. He returned from Korea in 1969 and immediately married his life long partner, Donna. Together, they raised four kids; Shaun (1971), Timothy (1972), Brian (1973) and Keith Dillon (1972). They settled down in South Lowell where they raised their sons and attended Sacred Heart Parish. Mickey worked for the United States Post Office, Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department and the Lowell Fire Department before he started his policing career in January of 1980.
A couple of years into his policing career he answered a call which involved a young man named William “Keith” Dillon, who was nine years old at the time of the call. Keith, like Mickey, was the youngest of nine kids and someone who did not have a lot as far as money and resources were concerned. In typical Mickey fashion, he told Keith he would pick him up and bring him to his other kids football practice the following night. Keith, who was used to disappointment, assumed Mickey would not follow through with his promise. However, Mickey and Donna not only picked him up and brought him to football practice the entire season, they also brought Thanksgiving dinner to Keith’s home and provided whatever resources they needed.
Mickey always put others first and truly believed in the power of helping the less fortunate. He was a voracious reader who was a proud Irish Catholic. He prayed his daily Rosary, made a religious pilgrimage to Medjugorje to pray for the health and well being of others rather than himself.
He embodied the old school, tough, yet gentle, Irish Catholic Police Officer of his generation. He often told people to never mistake his kindness for weakness, because he would treat you with the respect you earned. He was fair, honest, fierce but loyal yet always helped countless men and women during his life, especially in his thirty-four and half years as a police officer. He was awarded several medals of valor for preventing tragic endings, yet always credited those around him instead of himself.
He was a lifelong Lowellian who truly embodied the Irish heritage of Lowell. He left a lasting impression on people from every background, especially those of Irish descent because as Irishmen and women, we know the battles we faced and the adversities we overcame to make it in America. He was eternally grateful and proud of his ancestry and always said there are two type of people in this world, “those that are Irish and those who wish they were Irish.”
Godspeed Mick and thanks for helping countless Lowellians during your time while reminding us about the important role the Irish played by building a unique and remarkable City like Lowell.
Michael Timothy O’Keefe was born in Lowell on May 23, 1948. He was the youngest of nine siblings, which included John (1926), Frank (1928) Lillian (1930), Elizabeth (1932) Theresa (1933), Patricia (1935), Rita (1941) and Thomas (1944). His parents, Cornelius Timothy O’Keefe (son of Timothy Cornelius O’Keefe and Sarah McEvroy of County Cork Ireland) and Elizabeth Kelly (daughter of Michael Kelly and Elizabeth Bray of County Cork Ireland) were first generation Americans. Both were born in Lowell, Massachusetts. His father worked as a bricklayer while his mother worked in the mills. They were a devout, Irish Catholic family who shared strong core family values and like many Irish families of their generation, were an extremely welcoming and loving family. You could not enter or leave their home without a kiss and a hug. They may have struggled financially, but they welcomed all into their home and that willingness to help others was how Mickey lived the rest of his life. The O’Keefe’s were also proud parishioners of Saint Peter’s Church. They truly loved their Irish heritage and often spoke about the Irish toughness that would help them overcome any obstacle in life. They knew the
struggle their parents faced when they first arrived in America during the late 1800’s because at the time, the Irish were not treated fairly.
He didn’t have much money growing up, so he decided to start boxing at a young age. Boxing was a solid way to keep him off the streets and out of trouble. His lifelong mentor outside of his family was Lowell’s renowned boxing trainer Ray “Ouchie” McManus. Ouchie reaffirmed his family’s motto of treating everyone fairly, while never forgetting your Irish heritage. Mickey never forgot where he came from and always helped those less fortunate than him. Although he won the Silver Mittens and Golden Gloves championships during his boxing days, his proudest accomplishments were training countless fighters in the City of Lowell, to include Lowell’s famous “Irish” Mickey Ward.
Mickey grew up in Lowell having attended Saint Peter’s School and later Lowell High School, where he met the love of his life, Donna (Perrault) O’Keefe. They met at the age of 15 and both graduated from Lowell High School in 1967. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the United States Army, during the Vietnam conflict, but was stationed in Korea, in the demilitarization zone and served as a communications specialist. He returned from Korea in 1969 and immediately married his life long partner, Donna. Together, they raised four kids; Shaun (1971), Timothy (1972), Brian (1973) and Keith Dillon (1972). They settled down in South Lowell where they raised their sons and attended Sacred Heart Parish. Mickey worked for the United States Post Office, Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department and the Lowell Fire Department before he started his policing career in January of 1980.
A couple of years into his policing career he answered a call which involved a young man named William “Keith” Dillon, who was nine years old at the time of the call. Keith, like Mickey, was the youngest of nine kids and someone who did not have a lot as far as money and resources were concerned. In typical Mickey fashion, he told Keith he would pick him up and bring him to his other kids football practice the following night. Keith, who was used to disappointment, assumed Mickey would not follow through with his promise. However, Mickey and Donna not only picked him up and brought him to football practice the entire season, they also brought Thanksgiving dinner to Keith’s home and provided whatever resources they needed.
Mickey always put others first and truly believed in the power of helping the less fortunate. He was a voracious reader who was a proud Irish Catholic. He prayed his daily Rosary, made a religious pilgrimage to Medjugorje to pray for the health and well being of others rather than himself.
He embodied the old school, tough, yet gentle, Irish Catholic Police Officer of his generation. He often told people to never mistake his kindness for weakness, because he would treat you with the respect you earned. He was fair, honest, fierce but loyal yet always helped countless men and women during his life, especially in his thirty-four and half years as a police officer. He was awarded several medals of valor for preventing tragic endings, yet always credited those around him instead of himself.
He was a lifelong Lowellian who truly embodied the Irish heritage of Lowell. He left a lasting impression on people from every background, especially those of Irish descent because as Irishmen and women, we know the battles we faced and the adversities we overcame to make it in America. He was eternally grateful and proud of his ancestry and always said there are two type of people in this world, “those that are Irish and those who wish they were Irish.”
Godspeed Mick and thanks for helping countless Lowellians during your time while reminding us about the important role the Irish played by building a unique and remarkable City like Lowell.
Bob Feldman
Before the time of watches or smart phones, the bell in the spire of St. Patrick Church called worshippers to Mass or announced special occasions such as a wedding or a funeral service. In 1890, the single bell in St. Patrick’s spire was replaced by a set of eleven bells. Today a single bell, the largest in the set, is rung every Sunday morning before the 10:00 am Mass. The entire set of eleven bells, called a “chime,” is played on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, and the opening Mass to Irish Cultural Week.
The chime is played by Robert “Bob” Feldman. Bob learned to play a chime in 1964 while a student at Cornell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and later a PhD in environmental conservation. Cornell is also where he met his late wife, Sue. Bob courted Sue by playing songs for her on the Cornell bells. To win her heart on occasion the first letter of the songs on his play list would spelled out SUE or they would have her name in their title, like “Oh Susanna” and “If You Knew Susie.” The daily newspaper would list the chime programs every Monday. They were engaged in the Cornell bell tower in 1964.
Following a career that included faculty positions at California Poly State University and Cornell, in 2000, Bob moved to Framingham and discovered a chime in Newton, which he began playing. In 2020, Bob was contacted about playing St. Patrick’s chime. Bob came to St. Patrick’s at the height of COVID with the intent of playing a concert parishioners could enjoy from the safety of the church lawn. Bob found St. Patrick’s chime to be in working condition but adjusted the instrument to make it more playable. He also brought in his extensive collection of chime music and started playing.
When Bob is asked to play for special occasions, he climbs the sixty-two step narrow spiral staircase in the spire to a wooden console one floor below the bells. The playing console has wooden handles which are connected by cables to the clappers of the bells in the belfry above. Everything is manual – there are no electronics. It is a workout.
Bob has two children, a son, David, and a daughter, Elana. David and his wife Megan live and work in Berlin, Germany. Elana and her husband, Cass, live in Watertown with their two sons, Evan and Milo, ages 6 and 10. Elana, is a professor the UMass Lowell Manning School of Business, specializing in Organizational Behavior.
Bob’s wife, Sue, was an accomplished musician and entrepreneur. She played the viola in various orchestras and quartets. She was an expert in search engine technology establishing her own company advising clients on which search engines to use on their company intranets. Unfortunately, Sue passed in 2020.
Bob demonstrates his generosity every time he comes to play the bells, driving from Framingham to St. Patrick Church, climbing the stairs, and sharing his music with not only the people assembled at St. Patrick’s but also the citizens of downtown Lowell. The music Bob creates can be heard throughout the downtown area and proudly announces that this Parish, established 194 years ago to serve Lowell’s growing Irish community, is alive, well, and active.
Before the time of watches or smart phones, the bell in the spire of St. Patrick Church called worshippers to Mass or announced special occasions such as a wedding or a funeral service. In 1890, the single bell in St. Patrick’s spire was replaced by a set of eleven bells. Today a single bell, the largest in the set, is rung every Sunday morning before the 10:00 am Mass. The entire set of eleven bells, called a “chime,” is played on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, and the opening Mass to Irish Cultural Week.
The chime is played by Robert “Bob” Feldman. Bob learned to play a chime in 1964 while a student at Cornell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and later a PhD in environmental conservation. Cornell is also where he met his late wife, Sue. Bob courted Sue by playing songs for her on the Cornell bells. To win her heart on occasion the first letter of the songs on his play list would spelled out SUE or they would have her name in their title, like “Oh Susanna” and “If You Knew Susie.” The daily newspaper would list the chime programs every Monday. They were engaged in the Cornell bell tower in 1964.
Following a career that included faculty positions at California Poly State University and Cornell, in 2000, Bob moved to Framingham and discovered a chime in Newton, which he began playing. In 2020, Bob was contacted about playing St. Patrick’s chime. Bob came to St. Patrick’s at the height of COVID with the intent of playing a concert parishioners could enjoy from the safety of the church lawn. Bob found St. Patrick’s chime to be in working condition but adjusted the instrument to make it more playable. He also brought in his extensive collection of chime music and started playing.
When Bob is asked to play for special occasions, he climbs the sixty-two step narrow spiral staircase in the spire to a wooden console one floor below the bells. The playing console has wooden handles which are connected by cables to the clappers of the bells in the belfry above. Everything is manual – there are no electronics. It is a workout.
Bob has two children, a son, David, and a daughter, Elana. David and his wife Megan live and work in Berlin, Germany. Elana and her husband, Cass, live in Watertown with their two sons, Evan and Milo, ages 6 and 10. Elana, is a professor the UMass Lowell Manning School of Business, specializing in Organizational Behavior.
Bob’s wife, Sue, was an accomplished musician and entrepreneur. She played the viola in various orchestras and quartets. She was an expert in search engine technology establishing her own company advising clients on which search engines to use on their company intranets. Unfortunately, Sue passed in 2020.
Bob demonstrates his generosity every time he comes to play the bells, driving from Framingham to St. Patrick Church, climbing the stairs, and sharing his music with not only the people assembled at St. Patrick’s but also the citizens of downtown Lowell. The music Bob creates can be heard throughout the downtown area and proudly announces that this Parish, established 194 years ago to serve Lowell’s growing Irish community, is alive, well, and active.
Donna Salyards
Donna was born in North Chelmsford, MA in March of 1946 the 12th child out of 15 children. Her mother was Alice V. Murphy born in the Sacred Heart Parish, Lowell, MA. Her father Patrick J. Curran was born in Athenry, County Galway, Ireland. As a child all the Currans and all the kids in the neighborhood within the town and city line of North Chelmsford and Lowell would have a great time skating and sliding at the Middlesex County Training School across the street from the Curran home.
In the summer most of the years the family would go to “Happy” Hampton Beach for a week, where they had some great times. Over the years as the family grew up and had their own children many Curran families would rent cottages near each other where they have many fond memories.
Donna graduated from Chelmsford High School in 1964 where she enjoyed gym, cheerleading and choirs. In her senior year of High school, she was Vice President of St. John’s the Evangelist Church Catholic Youth Organization and participated in the church shows and basketball.
Her first job after graduation was E. A. Wilson Company on Broadway Street, Lowell, MA. In March of 1966 she went to work in the accounting department for Raytheon Company, Bedford, MA. While working she took courses at Fitchburg State College. For many years she headed up the Christmas Party, St. Patrick and other parties for the Accounting Department. She Joined their Ski Club where they skied in NH, ME, VT, out West, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
Donna volunteered weekly singing and playing the guitar at Masses held for children with special needs in Lowell and at the Billerica House of Correction. She sang in the St. John the Evangelist choir from 1972 through 2004, Middlesex Singers. Since 2005, Donna has sung in the St. Camillus
Choir and also in The Holy Rood Collaborative Choir for the past three years.
Donna has been a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 1, Lowell since 1989, holding the position of Treasured from 1991
through 1996 and 2017 until present. Donna previously held the position of Financial Secretary from 2001 through 2016. Donna has been an integral part
of the LAOH and has co-chaired the Ceili since 2010, co-chairs the LAOH/AOH Dinner Dance since 2022 and the LAOH/AOH Program book since 2023. In 1995, Donna married Major John L. Salyards of the USAF and in June of 1996 moved with John while he was on assignment for 3 years to Ottawa, Canada.
Donna has been on the North Chelmsford Town Hall Advisory Committee since 2012 and their Treasurer from 2021 to present.
Donna was born in North Chelmsford, MA in March of 1946 the 12th child out of 15 children. Her mother was Alice V. Murphy born in the Sacred Heart Parish, Lowell, MA. Her father Patrick J. Curran was born in Athenry, County Galway, Ireland. As a child all the Currans and all the kids in the neighborhood within the town and city line of North Chelmsford and Lowell would have a great time skating and sliding at the Middlesex County Training School across the street from the Curran home.
In the summer most of the years the family would go to “Happy” Hampton Beach for a week, where they had some great times. Over the years as the family grew up and had their own children many Curran families would rent cottages near each other where they have many fond memories.
Donna graduated from Chelmsford High School in 1964 where she enjoyed gym, cheerleading and choirs. In her senior year of High school, she was Vice President of St. John’s the Evangelist Church Catholic Youth Organization and participated in the church shows and basketball.
Her first job after graduation was E. A. Wilson Company on Broadway Street, Lowell, MA. In March of 1966 she went to work in the accounting department for Raytheon Company, Bedford, MA. While working she took courses at Fitchburg State College. For many years she headed up the Christmas Party, St. Patrick and other parties for the Accounting Department. She Joined their Ski Club where they skied in NH, ME, VT, out West, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
Donna volunteered weekly singing and playing the guitar at Masses held for children with special needs in Lowell and at the Billerica House of Correction. She sang in the St. John the Evangelist choir from 1972 through 2004, Middlesex Singers. Since 2005, Donna has sung in the St. Camillus
Choir and also in The Holy Rood Collaborative Choir for the past three years.
Donna has been a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 1, Lowell since 1989, holding the position of Treasured from 1991
through 1996 and 2017 until present. Donna previously held the position of Financial Secretary from 2001 through 2016. Donna has been an integral part
of the LAOH and has co-chaired the Ceili since 2010, co-chairs the LAOH/AOH Dinner Dance since 2022 and the LAOH/AOH Program book since 2023. In 1995, Donna married Major John L. Salyards of the USAF and in June of 1996 moved with John while he was on assignment for 3 years to Ottawa, Canada.
Donna has been on the North Chelmsford Town Hall Advisory Committee since 2012 and their Treasurer from 2021 to present.