An Evening of Irish Music to Honor Pauline Olsen, M.D.

Pauline Olsen, M.D., a co-founder of the Malta House of Care mobile medical clinic and founder of the Malta Food Pantry, will be honored on Thursday, October 24 with an evening of Irish music.

The performers are Ringrose, Freeman and Friends—guitarist and vocalist Dan Ringrose, fiddler Jeanne Freeman, accordionist John Tabb, and bagpiper Jonathan Warner—with championship-winning dancers Irish step dancers from the Griffith Academy of Dance. The repertoire includes traditional jigs, reels, and hornpipes; poetry and anecdotes; and song. Radio personality Ray Dunaway of WTIC 1080 is emcee.

The Irish-born Dr. Olsen, a long-time resident of Farmington, Conn., is a retired obstetrician who was often recognized as a distinguished physician by Connecticut Magazine and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. In 2010 L’Oreal Paris named her a “Woman of Worth,” and in 2012 she was named a Purpose Prize Fellow.

Dr. Olsen remains active in the field of medicine as a dedicated volunteer physician at the Malta House of Care mobile medical clinic. Since commencing services in July 2006, the free clinic has provided more than 25,200 patient visits and has become a medical home to thousands of adults with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. The Malta Food Pantry was established by Dr. Olsen in 2011 at St. Justin Church, located at 230 Blue Hills Avenue, Hartford, and where she also volunteers.

The event celebrating Dr. Olsen will be held at the Wallace Stevens Theater at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Tower Building, 690 Asylum Avenue, Hartford. It begins at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by the concert and Irish-themed auctions, including a live auction of a vacation stay in Ireland. Tickets are $75 each, of which $50 is a tax-deductible contribution benefiting both the Malta House of Care and Malta Food Pantry. For information about sponsorships or to buy tickets, visit maltahouseofcare.org or call (860) 548-1593.