The Council's 2019 Annual Report is now available online for download. Click here for
details
Programming agenda updates
Sophie Colgan, Program Director of the Ireland-U.S. Council with some updates on our programming agenda in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Ireland-U.S. Council - June events in New York and Dublin fall victim to COVID-19
Back in March, when we were forced to reschedule our March lunch in New York, we figured that by June we might have come through the health emergency challenge. We now know better.
Our scheduled June 11 lunch we had planned would double up as a belated staging of our St. Patrick's Lunch plus our annual Scholarships Awards event. Sadly, these cherished New York events have also now fallen victim to the continuing public health emergency and will no longer take place.
Emphasising the international scope of the pandemic, our MidSummer Gala Dinner in Dublin Castle scheduled for Friday, June 26 has also been cancelled by this very challenging virus crisis.
We wish it were otherwise but uppermost in our minds must always be the safety and health of our members, their guests, our student scholar candidates and the staff at both venues.
We continue to monitor events on both sides of the ocean relating to developments on the pandemic. We will maintain regular communications on this and on our broader Council programming agenda in the weeks ahead.
Please stay safe.
2019 December Member-Guest Reception Held in Dublin
Danny McCoy, Chief Executive of Ibec, the largest business representation group in Ireland, was a Guest Speaker at the Council’s 2019 December Member-Guest Reception held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin December 12. His topic was the changing nature and rapid growth of Ireland's economy, happening as it is amid anxiety and uncertainty over Britain's imminent withdrawal from the European Union.
Council’s 57th Annual Dinner Held in New York
Honors Digicel’s Denis O’Brien
This year’s Ireland-U.S. Council Award for Outstanding Achievement was presented to Denis O’Brien, Founder & Chairman of Digicel by Dennis Swanson, President-Emeritus of the Council at our 57th Annual Dinner on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 held in the Metropolitan Club in New York City.
2019 Cúchulainn Award presented to
Northern Ireland’s Norman Houston
Seen at the presentation of this year’s Cúchulainn Award at the Council’s 57th Annual Dinner were (from left): Council Board Member Bill Byrne of Aer Lingus; Honoree Norman Houston, Council President Brian W. Stack and Alison Metcalfe of Tourism Ireland.
Denis O’Brien, Chairman & Founder of Digicel,
to Receive the
Ireland-U.S. Council’s 2019 Award for Outstanding Achievement
at 57th Annual Dinner in New York
New York, NY; October 7, 2019: The Ireland-U.S. Council will
present its Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2019 to Denis
O’Brien, Chairman & Founder of Digicel to mark his distinguished and
successful business career and to underline his notable and important
achievements in building bonds between America and Ireland.
The Ireland-U.S. Council Award is also presented to celebrate his
significant and generous philanthropy over many years to causes
aimed at improving the lives of poor people and those less-fortunate
especially in the fields of education and healthcare. For example, in Haiti the Digicel
Foundation has invested over $60 million in building 178 schools with over 60,000
students in attendance. Other major philanthropic projects are ongoing in Jamaica,
Papua New Guinea and in Ireland.
The Award will be a centerpiece of the Council’s 57th Annual Dinner to be held at
the Metropolitan Club in New York City on Wednesday, November 13, 2019. David
O’Sullivan, the Executive Director of the Council based in New York, said “We are
delighted this year to present the Ireland-U.S. Council’s Award for Outstanding
Achievement to Denis O’Brien who throughout his remarkable career has done
much to build, sustain and improve the bonds between America and Ireland. We
are pleased to mark the unique and positive contributions which he has made to
improving the historic and deep relationships between Ireland and the United States.
Throughout his successful career, he has displayed an unmatched commitment to
excellence in his business dealings. The members and directors of the Council are
delighted to honor such an outstanding and worthy recipient with an award which
he greatly deserves.”
Denis O’Brien is a self-made billionaire and serial entrepreneur who is Ireland’s
wealthiest native-born citizen. Born in Cork, he was raised in Dublin and learned
business from his father who was engaged in veterinary pharmaceutical sales. He is
a 1977 graduate of University College Dublin and earned an MBA degree from Boston
College in 1982. He worked in banking and aircraft leasing in his early career and
struck out on his own first in radio broadcasting and then in mobile cellular
telecommunications.
He was awarded Ireland’s second national cellphone license in open competition in
1995 and made a huge success of the business building it from scratch. He eventually
sold the Esat Digifone enterprise, to BT - British Telecom. He reinvested the capital
proceeds in other businesses, especially a second cellphone business – Digicel, of
which he is the majority owner. This company has operations in 32 markets in the
Caribbean, Central America, and the Pacific Islands with a combined 12.8 million
subscribers and 5,500 staff.
He is also the founder of Communicorp Group, which has 42 radio stations in nine
countries. His business interests also include healthcare, energy, real estate,
professional sports, aircraft leasing and other enterprises. His net worth has been
estimated by Forbes Magazine at over $4 billion.
2019 Ireland Golf Day enjoyed by Ireland-U.S. Council
members and their guests under sunny skies
The Ireland-U.S. Council's 2019 Golf Day was held at Dún Laoghaire Golf Club near Dublin on Friday, September 6. The event was staged and enjoyed by the full-field contingent of members and their guests and was sponsored by Northern Trust Bank and Aer Lingus. Seen at the event were (from left) Roddy Feely, Executive Director of the Council with Bill Byrne (Aer Lingus), Brian Hegarty (Northern Trust), Yvonne Muldoon (Aer Lingus) and Dr. Michael J. Somers, President of the Council Chapter Ireland.
The winning fourball from AIB Group (from left)
Kerr Mark McCarthy, Colm Davenport, Vinny Lacey and CJ Berry.
Ireland-U.S. Council Golf Day in New York
The 2019 Connie Doolan Memorial Golf Trophy was won (again) by the golf team from Guinness. Pictured with the trophy at the Ireland-U.S. Council Golf Day at Rye Golf Club on Monday, July 22, 2019 were (from left) Kevin Burke with Council Member Bill Falvey, Keith Cussmano and Philip Sheridan. The event was sponsored by Tourism Ireland and by Guinness, a unit of Diageo.
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins
Guest of Honor at Ireland-U.S. Council Dinner
in Dublin Castle
Uachtarán na hÉireann President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina were Guests of Honor at this year’s Ireland-U.S. Council’s Midsummer Gala Dinner on Friday, June 28, 2019 in Dublin Castle. At the event President Higgins presented the Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Ireland’s Legendary Broadcaster Gay Byrne, who was represented by his wife Kathleen Watkins and his daughter. Seen at the event were (from left): Ireland-U.S. Council Chapter President, Dr. Michael Somers; Sabina Higgins; Kathleen Watkins; Uachtarán Higgins; and Suszi Byrne.
Council’s Gala MidSummer Dinner in Dublin Castle Features Award for Outstanding Portraiture
Seen at the presentation of this year’s Ireland-U.S. Council Award for Outstanding Portraiture at the Council’s Midsummer Gala Dinner on Friday, June 28, 2019 in Dublin Castle were (from left): Brigid Mulcahy, Publisher of The Irish Arts Review; David Roche from Prudential Financial in Ireland; Ireland-U.S. Council Chapter President, Dr. Michael Somers with the Belfast-based winning artist Gareth Reid. His striking portrait work was chosen from among the entries at the Royal Hibernian Academy’s Spring Exhibition held in Dublin earlier in 2019.
The award, which is an important part of the Ireland-U.S. Council’s program to support the arts and arts education in Ireland, is presented in Ireland to an artist whose work is judged to be of outstanding merit. The winning artist was presented with a framed citation and the Council’s €5,000 Euro ($6,000) award bursary for his winning portrait which was on display at the event.
2019 Ireland-U.S. Council Scholars Presentation Lunch in New York
The Council’s 2019 Student Work Experience Scholarships awards luncheon was held at The Metropolitan Club in New York City on Thursday, June 13, 2019. Seen at the presentations event were (from left) : Council Scholars, Brian McPartland and Seán McMahon; Dermot Fitzpatrick, Ireland’s Deputy Consul General In New York; Council Scholar, Ross Archibald; the Ireland-U.S. Council’s National Secretary, James P. Adrian of the law firm Adrian-Cassidy Associates; Council Scholars, Dylan Willis, Lauryn Hollywood and Conor McKeon with Annalise Stack, who manages the Council’s Scholarships Program.
Read more about this year's Scholarship recipients here. (PDF)
The Ireland-U.S. Council’s 2019 Award For Outstanding Portraiture To Be Presented To Belfast Artist Gareth Reid
Prudential Financial’s Sponsorship Supports This Important Arts Program
Belfast artist Gareth Reid is the winner of this year’s Award
for Outstanding Portraiture, sponsored by the Ireland-U.S. Council in conjunction with the
Irish Arts Review and in association with the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). The Award
is presented in Ireland to an artist whose submission is judged to be of outstanding merit.
The Award is an important part of the Council’s program to support the arts and arts
education in Ireland.
The winning painting is a portrait entitled “Girl in a Red Room” and was chosen from all
exhibits at the Royal Hibernian Academy’s 189th Annual Exhibition, opening in Dublin.
At the prize-giving ceremony at the RHA, Mr. Reid was presented with the Ireland-
U.S. Council’s €5,000 award bursary. A formal presentation of the Awards Ceremony citation
will be made by Council Ireland Chapter President Dr. Michael Somers at the Council’s
Midsummer Gala Dinner on Friday, June 28, 2019 at a dinner in Dublin Castle.
The Ireland-U.S. Council's 2019 Spring Corporate Lunch
in Belfast on April 12
The 2019 Spring Corporate Lunch of the Ireland-U.S. Council was held in Belfast on April 12. Seen at the event were Dr. Michael J. Somers, President of the Council's Chapter in Ireland; Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, Chairman & CEO of Randox Laboratories who was a guest speaker; Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and the Manhattan Institute - also a guest speaker; Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, U.S. Consul General in Northern Ireland; and Joe O'Neill, Chief Executive of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners who graciously hosted the lunch at their magnificent corporate headquarters in Belfast.
The Ireland-U.S. Council's 2019 St. Patrick's Lunch
in New York on March 15
The Ireland-U.S. Council's 2019 St. Patrick's Lunch was held in New York on March 15. Seen at the annual festive occasion was Brian Stack, Council President; Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Justice & Equality in the Government of Ireland and Brian O'Dwyer, the 2019 Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in the City of New York, who was Guest of Honor at the Lunch.
Brexit is A Topic Of Council’s 2019 Winter Meeting
The 27th Annual Winter Meeting of the Ireland-U.S. Council was held in Palm Beach, Florida from February 13 thru 15, 2019. Seen at the Council’s Winter Meeting lunch were (from left) Council Board Member and host of the Winter Meeting’s Opening Night Dinner, Bill Finneran; Ireland’s Ambassador to the U.S. Dan Mulhall; Chairman of the 27th Annual Winter Meeting Michael J. Gibbons and his wife, Cynthia. Ambassador Mulhall spoke on Brexit and updated Council members and their guests on the matter which is of such growing concern in Ireland.
The Winter Meeting lunch also featured a presentation on Investing in Irish Art by Arabella Bishop and Charlie Minter from Sotheby’s. The largest sale of Irish art from a private collection was held by the famous auction house in December 2018 by Palm Beach resident and Ireland-U.S. Council member Brian F. Burns.
The 27th Annual Winter Meeting events were sponsored by Aer Lingus and by CIE Tours International.
Council's 2018 December Member-Guest Reception held in Dublin
Seen at the Council’s 2018 December Member-Guest Reception held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin December 12 were (from left) Dr. Michael J. Somers, President of the Ireland-U.S. Council’s Chapter in Ireland; Bill Byrne, Director Global Sales for event sponsor Aer Lingus; Reece Smyth, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin; Barry O’Callaghan, Chairman & CEO, Rise Global Holdings, who was a Guest Speaker and Dara Calleary, Deputy Leader of Ireland’s main opposition political party, Fianna Fáil, who also addressed the group.
Welcome to the website of the Ireland-U.S. Council. Our
mission is to build business links between America and Ireland. This site contains
detailed information on the organization's programs
and activities in both the United States and in the Emerald
Isle.
We value your interest in the mission of the Council and always welcome new members. We hope that you find the answers here to any questions you
may have about us. If not, please contact us and we
will be happy to tell you more.
It was back in 1962 that, in preparation for the visit of President John F. Kennedy
to Ireland the following year, two organizations were created as a measure to build
institutional form around a structure to improve the relations between America and
Ireland.
One was dedicated to cultural relations - the American Irish Foundation, which has
since merged into the American Ireland Fund. Your Council was the other and was
aimed at building business bonds between America and Ireland.
We cherish the shared commitments that connect us to our Council mission. During
the past year, the Council has enjoyed outstanding support from members and from
many benefactors, patrons and sponsors. On behalf of the Council's Board and the
entire membership of the organization throughout the United States and in all parts
of Ireland, we offer thanks for the support we continue to receive.
