The Irish love a good gathering. That was no more evident than in 2024 as we gathered to celebrate the arts, raise money for international charities, honor leaders in cities around the country, and celebrate our differences and that which brings us together.
We look back at these wonderful events and some people who participated and made them possible.
Sláinte 2024!
AIF CELEBRATIONS
The Ireland Funds 43rd Boston Gala took place on November 4. Over 650 guests celebrated at The Westin Copley Place. Ronald P. O’Hanley, Chairman and CEO of State Street, and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey were guests of honor.
In accepting his Leadership Award, O’Hanley highlighted his pride in his Irish heritage and praised the Fund for its “spirit of generosity, commitment and connection to Ireland.”
Caitriona Fottrell, President & CEO of The Ireland Funds, offered a special thanks to the dinner committee and Gala Chair Jim Rooney of the Greater Boston Chamber, who proudly announced at the end of the evening that $1.8 million had been raised to support Fund’s mission.
Meanwhile, the Ireland Funds Women in Leadership Luncheon was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco on December 6. Guest speakers included Sarah Friar, Chief Financial Officer at OpenAI; Amy Roberti, Head of Public Policy at Stripe; and Lorraine Twohill, Chief Marketing Officer at Google.
*Photos by Maura Wayman and Bill Brett
ARTS CENTER GALA RAISES $3.25M
Irish Arts Center (IAC) New York City honored 3-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep on Friday, November 15, at its 25th Annual Spirit of Ireland Gala at Pier 60.
IAC also celebrated longtime KPMG executive Shaun Kelly at the conclusion of his five-year tenure as IAC Board Chair, during which the organization completed and opened its $60 million landmark new facility amid a global pandemic.
Special Guest Senator George Mitchell – architect of the Good Friday Agreement – gave a moving speech reinforcing the links between America’s immigrant traditions and its spirit of innovation and heralding IAC’s role as a bridge between Ireland and the U.S.
By the end of the night, the Gala had raised $3.25 million to support the organization’s annual programming, its operations, and its next phase of growth.
The event’s Honorary Chairs were Liam Neeson, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, and Gabriel Byrne, and its Lead Sponsors were Kea Capel, Bob McCann, Kate and Bob Devlin, and Kathleen and Mike Dowling.
Performances by Declan O’Rourke, known for his expansive musical storytelling, and singer/songwriter Sean Kiely with Sean Kiely and Friends.
The festive event was attended by notable guests, including actor and IAC Honorary Chair (and Honorary Gala Co-Chair) Liam Neeson, actors Aidan Quinn, Bill Irwin, Justin Theroux, and Nicole Brydon Bloom, novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz, poet Paul Muldoon, CNN broadcaster Donie O’Sullivan, and many more leading lights.
The evening was co-hosted by IAC Executive Director Aidan Connolly and Vice Chair Pauline Turley. The Gala celebrated three full years of programming in the new Irish Arts Center. In that time, the institution has presented, as Turley noted, “more than 600 artists to more than 50,000 audiences, including two Presidents and two Taoiseachs.”
*Photos by Nir Arielli
THE GREAT ETHIOPIAN RUN
On Sunday, September 17, a team of runners from the U.S., Ireland, and Ethiopia stepped up to the starting line for the Great Ethiopian Run in Addis Ababa. They were the GOAL team, there to participate in a road race named ‘the world’s best 10k’ by Runner’s World.
This was more than a chance for the runners to test their athletic prowess in high altitude. Led by Irish Olympian and former 5,000-meter world record holder Eamonn Coghlan, the team was committed to raising $200,000 to support GOAL’s vital work in Ethiopia and beyond.
The road to Addis Ababa began in July 2024. At a kickoff event in New York hosted by Eamonn Coghlan, GOAL USA board chair Ronan Ryan, and fellow GOAL board member Conor Twomey. Ryan is the founder and COO of IEX, and the event was held at the IEX headquarters, 3 World Trade Center.
Ryan and Twomey, the managing partner of AI One, are avid runners. They used the event to introduce more than 120 attendees to GOAL and its mission and to recruit a team to take on the Great Ethiopian Run Challenge.
Soon, ten runners answered the call, reaching out to friends, family, and colleagues to support the effort while training in earnest for the course, which covers approximately 6.2 miles at an altitude above 8,000 feet.
The team included GOAL USA Board Member Tony Chambers, Disney’s EVP of Theatrical Distribution, GOAL USA CEO Eamon Sharkey, and New York-based executives Mark O’Toole, Alfie Tucker, and Ed Louie. They were joined by fitness and lifestyle coach, founder and content creator Amie Wiley, who captured the journey’s every step.
Ethiopia is one of GOAL’s largest, most comprehensive, and longest-running country programs, currently staffed by a team of nearly 800, it reaches families and communities across 60 districts and eight regions, including Afar, Amhara, Gambela, and Tigray. GOAL’s work there provides critical support in nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) livelihoods, food security, health, and protection – bringing relief to communities facing extreme crises such as drought, conflict, and displacement.
The team landed in Addis Ababa on Wednesday morning, November 13. While some took a training run in the Entoto Mountains above the city, others rested, preparing for a series of visits they would make to GOAL programs across the country.
Over the next two days, the team met with GOAL staff, partners, and the communities they work with. They visited a child protection center in Addis Ababa, initiatives focusing on food security and managing acute malnutrition in infants in Harerghe, and comprehensive emergency response activities aiding displaced populations in Gambella and Tigray.
They returned to Addis Ababa to take part in the Run with an added commitment to spread awareness of GOAL’s work and motivate future fundraising efforts.
The Great Ethiopian Run brought together some 50,000 runners this year.
While the run is a competitive race for serious runners, most people are there to take in the raucous celebration of life, community spirit, and Ethiopian pride, with music, dancing, and a scenic tour of the vibrant city of Addis Ababa.
The run also highlights important social causes. This year’s theme was “For Every Child, Nutrition,” which held special meaning for those aware of GOAL’s work with malnourished children.
Runners from GOAL Ethiopia and GOAL USA finished the course at a range of times, from competitive to casual. Reuniting at the finish, jubilant and humbled by the experience, they spoke of being more committed than ever to GOAL’s mission.
Eamon Sharkey remarked, “When Ronan and Conor charged us with making this happen back in July, we had no idea how it would turn out, but I am confident we’ll surpass our $200,000 goal, and we have all the momentum we need to bring back a bigger team and generate even more support next year.”
Plans are underway for GOAL USA’s Great Ethiopian Run 2025, which will also be the event’s 25th anniversary.
ENRICHMENT THROUGH RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCE
The Flax Trust held its 34th New York Event on October 10 at The Links, located at 36 East 62nd Street in New York City between Madison and Park Avenues – a stunning four-story Georgian townhouse.
This year’s guests of honor included Ambassador Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, Pauline Turley, Vice Chair of Irish Arts Centre New York, and Robert J. Reilly, Assistant Dean (retired) Fordham Law School.
Monies raised at the New York event will support the Trust in furthering development and education in Northern Ireland.
The Flax Trust was formed in Belfast in 1977 by Fr. Miles Kananagh, a Dubliner and a member of the Passionionist congregation who thought that job creation could be a powerful force for peace.
Passing the derelict Brookfield Mill on the Crumlin Road in his parish of Holy Cross almost daily, Fr. Miles decided that with investment, the site could be used to help the people of the local area on both sides of the religious divide. He gathered a group of equally determined trustees, Maura Lundy, John Patterson, and Sr. Mary Turley, with the goal of reducing community tensions and religious prejudices through creative engagement in economic and social development, education, music, and culture.
Since its founding, the Trust has lived up to its mission. From starting with nothing, it transformed the former linen mill into a business center accommodating over 70 small businesses. Over the years, it’s become a business incubator for all of Belfast, creating over 400 companies and providing training and personal development for several hundred people each year through the Brookfield Business School.
In 1982, Flax Trust America was set up, with support from Mutual of America’s powerbrokers Bill Flynn, Tom Moran, and Ed Kenney, all of whom played a part in the peace process.
Under the determined efforts of Non-Executive Director of The Flax Trust Sister Mary Turley, contributions from Flax Trust America helped develop such programs as an international arts center – theatre, art gallery, dance studio, and the Pittsburgh Bar & Steelers’ Restaurant. It also initiated a community association and health and social programs, which have served thousands of Meals on Wheels in addition to day-care center meals; built a medical center housing Ardoyne Community Healthcare Centre, Ardoyne / Shankill Healthy Living Centre, medical and dental surgeries, and an elderly day care center; built a shopping center including a supermarket, post office, pharmacy, fancy goods store, florist, community-based organizations, café, offices and workshops providing services, and more.
Regrettably, Fr. Miles passed away on November 10, 2024.
He is remembered here by Professor Ken O’Neill, former Head of School at the Ulster University Business School:
“Fr. Myles was a true visionary and a supreme entrepreneur – a man who could both dream the future and make it a reality. This rare combination of foresight and action set him apart.
It began in the early days of the Troubles, as he slept in his room in Ardoyne, a loud explosion woke him up. Simultaneously, the ceiling of the room fell in on him. It was a bomb. As he struggled outside to the street, angry and opposing mobs had gathered.
These moments in the early 1970s changed his life. He saw opportunity in adversity, convinced that job creation could be a powerful force for peace. His belief that idle hands were the devil’s workshop fueled his determination to create jobs and foster prosperity in North Belfast – for all the people, no matter what side of the divide. And so it began. From his Crumlin Road base he set about developing a plan of action to generate employment by any means possible. The result is the Flax Trust – arguably the largest and most diverse social enterprise in Northern Ireland.
His legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”
THE NEW YORK IRISH CENTER AT 20
The New York Irish Center hosted a 20th-anniversary benefit dinner on Saturday, November 9, headlined by the comedians Maureen Langan and Colin Quinn.
There was lots to celebrate as NYIC, a hub for culture and community enrichment in the heart of Long Island City, is entering a period of substantial growth, both in the services it provides and the cultural programming it presents. Executive Director George C. Heslin, who has led the Center since 2020, detailed a number of exciting new programs, including the Crossroads Concerts series that pairs Irish folk with the traditions of numerous ethnic communities in Queens and the just-launched “Finding Home” literacy program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, with 18 events in all.
Heslin also previewed the upcoming holiday concert “NY Croons for Christmas” on December 13. This year, cabaret stars Colm Reilly, Carolyn Montgomery, Sean Harkness, and Kathy Keafer will be the captivating Madelyn Monaghan, whose exquisite sean-nós (old style) singing is catapulting her to fame.
A 20th Anniversary Proclamation was presented on behalf of New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Council’s Irish Caucus. Board Chair Sean Mackin read the proclamation before he and his wife, Philomena Mackin, were thanked for their unswerving support of the center and its numerous programs. On hand for the festivities was former NYC Council Member Danny Dromm, a stalwart friend of New York’s Irish community.
During dinner and after the presentations, the evening transitioned into its entertainment phase, which featured Colin Quinn and Maureen Langan, who rocked the house with exquisite comedy and satire. There was also dancing with music by Cathy Maguire, who wrestled up an A-list band playing jaunty country-Irish fusion.
Among the star-studded attendees were the Emmy-winning actress, producer, and stuntwoman Donna Keegan, the dashing boxer and actor John Duddy, Invest Northern Ireland’s Jane McCarter O’Dowd, and Ireland’s Consul General Helena Nolan (who shared heartfelt insights into the strength and diversity of the Irish community in New York). She was followed by the recently elected State Assembly Member Clair Valdez, who received a warm welcome from the Center.
*Photos by James Higgins
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