The New York City St. Patricks Day parade will never be the same without the smiling Irish eyes of Mairéad McInerney-McAteer.

“This was a special day for her that she would look forward to every single year,” McInerney-McAteer’s husband Michael said. “She carried her Irish heritage with her each and every day. I mean, her name alone just screams Ireland and that’s who she was.”

The 39-year-old Queens native died in early February after a battle against triple negative breast cancer.

Each year, McInerney-McAteer, a former Irish step dancer, would proudly waive the tri-color along Fifth Avenue, walking with her beloved family under their County Clare banner.

The proud daughter of Irish immigrants, Mairéad loved her Irish heritage. Last year, when she couldn’t make it to the parade because of treatment, she celebrated in style.

This St. Patrick’s Day, her loved ones kept her memory close, wearing plenty of green and pins with her photo.

After her diagnosis in December 2022, McInerney-McAteer became an advocate for fellow cancer patients. She bravely shared her journey on social media, building an army of what she called her “breasties,” women going through similar treatments and diagnoses.

“I’ve had numerous doctors come up and say that they’ve changed how they practice and how they talk to those with breast cancer because of Mairéad’s advocacy,” Michael said. “And it has not stopped. There are people who continue to reach out, talking about what she’s meant to their journey.”

She raised awareness about the ongoing nationwide shortage of crucial cancer treatment drugs, raised thousands for the United for Her and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation and, most importantly, brought hope to so many fighting their own battle.

Towards the end of her life, she worked with her family and friends on establishing a scholarship in her memory to help underserved youth.

Mairéad was a longtime volunteer with the Lucy Outreach organization in South Jersey, near where she attended college. In her honor, the Mairéad McInerney-McAteer Legacy Scholarship was created.

“Her Irish heritage and being a child of immigrants was very, very important to her,” said Mairéad’s sister, Regina McInerney Lopez. “We are hoping her legacy lives on to help children who are typically underserved and first generation, because that was very important to Mairéad.”

While Mairéad was missed along the parade route, her presence was felt. Her family and friends know, as they carry on her legacy, she will always walk beside them and maybe even Irish step dance with them during the month of March.