The Irish-American Club of St. Clair County is proud to announce the selection of Michael Raftery as its Grand Marshal for 2008. As Grand Marshal, Dr. Raftery will preside over CelticFest 2008 and The St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Dr. Raftery is a native of Sligo, Co. Sligo, Ireland.  He was born in 1923, the eldest of seven children born to Michael and Nell Raftery.

Mike attended medical school in Dublin, graduating from the Royal College of Surgeons. He then migrated to the United States in 1949.  After completing his residency in 1950, he met and married Ruth Mahoney of Kalamazoo. In 1959 they moved to Port Huron where he started a private practice in internal medicine.  He remained in practice until his retirement at the age of 70 in 1993. During those years he was on the staff at both Port Huron and Mercy Hospitals and served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA and the Blue Water Clinic.

Mike has continued to be active in the community since his retirement, volunteering for the first few years at the Peoples Clinic. He currently serves as a Eucharistic Minister to the sick at Port Huron Hospital, and is active with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Mike and Ruth have raised their nine children in Port Huron and are the proud grandparents of thirty (and counting!) grandchildren. He says that he is blessed to belong to such a great community, and is honored to represent his family and his native Ireland in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The Irish-American Club of St. Clair County congratulates its new Grand Marshal.