Mary started dancing at the age of 5 with the Healy Irish Dance School of San Francisco. Long before Riverdance brought Irish dance to the world's attention, she was competing at the Open Championship level and dancing with teams that regularly placed at the Western Region Oireachtas.

After coming to Atlanta, Mary joined the Drake School of Irish Dance, and in 2005 she earned her TCRG (Irish Dance Teacher certification) from An Coimisiun of Dublin, Ireland.

In addition to teaching regular classes at the Drake School, Mary enjoys introducing ceili dancing to groups at festivals, schools, and gatherings of all kinds.