Devin Condron

Through the AIF our family has benefited greatly from the wonderful people we have met, and the opportunity to help with integrated education in Northern Ireland.

 Kip Condron

In 1980, I attended my first AIF Dinner in NYC and was intrigued by the commitment, energy and focus of the organization. When I moved to Boston in 1989, I served on the Dinner Committee each year and in 1997, I chaired the NYC Dinner. It was then that I really began to understand how important AIF's assistance and fundraising efforts were to the under-privileged people in Ireland.

My experience with the AIF has enhanced my understanding of Ireland and its rich history as well as deepened my appreciation and pride in my own Irish roots. It's also reinforced my belief that an informed group of persistent and like-minded people can create positive and long lasting change.

My most memorable experience was a day in Belfast with the AIF Board six years ago. We spoke with victims of the Omagh bombings and how their experiences had profoundly changed their lives -- contrasting those horrible events against the happiness of the children at the Hazelwood integrated school was amazing and gratifying because, through our funding, we were helping both groups.

I have a tremendous amount of hope and confidence in the future potential of the AIF to continue to make a difference in Ireland --where in spite of its growth, there are many needs-- particularly the need to lead and influence change against the prejudices in the north.

 Jack Connors

This is our finest hour. And to keep this spirit alive, let us not think of it as the end of months of hard work. Let us think of it as a beginning.
Let us think of it as a statement of our enduring commitment to ensure that future generations of Irish people are not condemned to the past happening over and over.

 Joe Corcoran

My most memorable experience with the AIF was traveling to Belfast and witnessing firsthand the deep division that existed within the community.

The greatest reward I have received came through my involvement in helping to improve the atmosphere of Northern Ireland. By welcoming both sides as benefactors, we were able to enhance the success of the Good Friday agreement and the cease-fire.

My hope is that the AIF will continue to build on the successes in Northern Ireland by supporting school and community integration, and enjoying the company of members throughout our nation and the world.

 John Cullinane

Bob Fitzgerald was the first person to contact me about The Ireland Fund. It was in 1981. He asked for $1,000, but things were going so well at Cullinane Corporation, I asked him if he would take $5,000. Naturally, he was pleasantly surprised but his timing was good. I had been thinking that it was time to help Ireland because my parents were from Dunmore East, County Waterford and The Ireland Fund seemed like an ideal vehicle. In 1983, Diddy and I were asked to Chair the annual dinner. In the process, I learned that there were two competing Irish organizations, The Ireland Funds and The American Ireland Foundation, both with the same origin, and wondered why this was. Ed Hanify, famous Boston lawyer, explained some of the history to me, who now headed it, etc. I then took the initiative to call John Brogan, President of The American Ireland Foundation, who lived in Palm Beach. As serendipity would have it, he had a summer place in Chatham, as we did. As a result, we became very friendly. In fact, we invited him to be our guest at The Ireland Fund dinners. At each meeting I would ask him why was it necessary to have two Irish American organizations doing essentially the same thing. I know others, such as Tom Flatley, were thinking the same way because eventually there was a merger between The Ireland Funds and The American Ireland Foundation with John Brogan becoming the President of the American Ireland Fund and Tony O'Reilly, Chairman. The rest is history.

 Charles Daly

I spent considerable time paying unannounced solo visits to projects on both sides of the divide in Belfast. The brutal impact of violence on the children and other innocents living in such places as the Divis Flats and the Ballymurphy Estate hardened my contempt for the back shooters and bombers, and made me realize how fortunate we are to be able to present peaceful alternatives through The Ireland Funds.

Seeing children from both communities study together in schools created by parents who believe the chance for lasting peace can be improved by integrated education in schools created with support from the Ireland Funds has given me great satisfaction.

I hope all of us involved with the AIF here and in Ireland will have the staying power to continue opposing terrorism, criminality and injustice whenever pseudo-patriots attempt to resurrect those evils in any political or economic disguise.

 Frank Doyle

I was first introduced to the AIF by Bill Connell, a dear friend and client, when I was at PricewaterhouseCoopers. I feel it’s important that the people of Irish ancestry stand together to make a difference and an impact on the people of Ireland. To know that our contributions have helped jump start prosperity and peace is rewarding. Much more remains to be done, but it’s been a great start.

 Peggy Dray

Twenty-five years ago I was invited to join in a group of twelve or more people of the Boston business community who were of Irish decent. What was started then has grown to hundreds of statewide leaders of the business community of Massachusetts. It makes a great statement of the goodwill and caring of Massachusetts towards the betterment of Ireland.

 Bob Dunfey

In 1976 my brother and I got involved in the first New York dinner, at that time the former president was a little known senator Mary Robinson, she was one of the speakers. That dinner wasn’t very successful financially, so we got Ethel Kennedy and Art Buchwald to head up the program in NY the next year and sold out the house. We made enough money to pay the bills of the previous year. Then, my brother Walter went on to start the Boston dinner in 1981 with Bob Fitzgerald.

I continued my involvement because of the problems in the North. I wanted the organization to become involved more in peace and reconciliation rather than bricks and mortar. I wanted to push for more schools integrated schools in the North.

Memorable experience: Gerry Adams’ first appearance at the Washington DC dinner. He was at our table and it was quite controversial because he was just let into the country by President Clinton. He sat at our table along with Jackie Redpath and Billy Hutchinson, who were unionists from the Shankel area in Northern Ireland.

My hope is for the Ireland Funds to continue to focus on peace & reconciliation; and to contribute more resources towards integrated schools in the North.

 Jack Dunfey

I was one of the co-chairmen with Dan Rooney on the committee to bring together The Ireland Fund with the American Irish Foundation. I organized the first meeting at the Parker House and Dan came up from Pittsburgh and we made a deal to bring the organizations together just about within that two hour meeting. This was an accomplishment because we had been told, in Irish culture, one thing that was impossible was to bring together two Irish organizations. With that deal, we almost doubled the size of major contributors and founders. The endowment we inherited gave us the impetus to expand very quickly in the U.S.

A memory that stands out for me happened about 4 years ago when we were touring Belfast area during the period of the Ireland Fund annual meetings in Dublin. We (including Loretta Glucksman and many of the other directors) took the bus to the Shankill area and took them into the famous Rex Bar on Shankill Road. There was a bit of consternation among the group because, needless to say, this wasn’t on the itinerary of touring areas that had benefited from The AIF. But thanks to our longstanding friendship with Jackie Redpath, everything turned out fine.

Speaking about Boston, many people wonder why, when both founders Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney aren’t from here, the headquarters were established in Boston. I think it can be attributed to the overwhelming success of the first dinner, where we almost doubled what had been collected in NY up to that point. That convinced the directors of the enthusiasm and camaraderie that existed among the early Boston directors, members and dinner attendees.

 Anne Finucane

 J. Brent Finnegan

The most memorable part of being involved with The AIF is the established friendships with many outstanding people who contribute to this cause.

The biggest reward has been helping in a small monetary way, personally, that combined with other donations, has had a significant social impact in Ireland.

 Bob Fitzgerald

In the 80s I went to New York for the dinner there and I became friendly with Tony O’Reilly. I went to Ireland and visited some of the projects and was impressed. Tony said they tried to put something together in Boston but it was unsuccessful. So I came back got in touch with Walter Dunfey and we raised about $300,000. That was the beginning of the Boston Dinners.

Back in ‘82 when we were starting this, we would go to people requesting donations and they would think we were fundraising for the IRA. We really had to convince people that it was going to peace and culture charities. Today, the organization is much more well known.

My most memorable experience with the AIF was the first annual board meeting that we had at Tom Galligher’s estate. The board was a lot smaller then so instead of having the conference in Ireland as they do now, we got together in Bermuda. I wont tell any stories. I’ll just say we were all a lot younger then. We had a good time and got some work done.

I hope that the AIF will continue being on the forefront of integrated education. I championed that in the 80s and it never really got off the ground. But now there are integrated schools in operation and I just think it’s wonderful that the AIF can get these kids, both Catholic and Protestant, together at an early age to close the gap.

 Charles & Janice Fox

Chairing the Ireland Fund Dinner in its young years was a delight and an opportunity to give thanks to the beloved country of our wonderful families who brought with them to America their deep faith and treasured values which globally echo still today.

 John Hamill

The American Ireland Fund has done a great job in bringing about understanding and cooperation throughout all of Ireland.

 Phil Haughey

The Ireland Fund has given me a good feeling to know that, in some small way, my involvement has helped the less fortunate in Ireland, North and South. I am hopeful that there will be a continued focus on the North and integrated education and encouragement by the AIF to create jobs and entrepreneurial efforts in the North.

 Sean Healey

I became active with The American Ireland Fund because
I wanted to give something back to a place that has given so much to me—a wonderful education, lifelong friends and, especially, my wife Kerry. She and I studied together in Dublin on Rotary Scholarships years ago, and it’s where we first began dating.

It’s been a privilege to work with the wonderful group of staff and volunteers at The Ireland Fund, whose love of Ireland and unselfish devotion is so critical to its success. The American Ireland Fund is the largest organization in the world dedicated to supporting the goals of peace, culture and charity in Ireland, and I hope to see it continue to grow in influence—both here and in Ireland.

 Rich Higginbotham

What motivates me to continue to put so much effort into The American Ireland Fund is my memories of my parents and grandparents.

The AIF enabled my intent to give back to Ireland. I hope that it will continue to bring centered peace and prosperity to the people there.

 Tom Hynes

Bob Fitzgerald first invited me to become involved in the AIF. The impact of my involvement has been an increased awareness of issues in Ireland both North and South. To see the growth and prosperity of Ireland over the years has been the greatest reward. Plus, the Annual Dinner has become a “happening” in Boston.

The double edged sword of Ireland going from what Leon Uris wrote in Trinity—“there is no future in Ireland only the past happening over and over again” – to one of the fastest growing economies in the world has dramatically shifted the economics of Ireland and should place the burden more appropriately on the Irish community itself.

 Ted Kelly

Shortly after arriving in Boston, I was asked to chair the American Ireland Fund Dinner. Accepting the role of chair was both a challenge and a thrill since I knew the dinner was one of the more successful and significant fundraisers in Boston. The Dinner raised $1 Million. At that point, my good friend Jack Connors had been the only chair to hit the $1 million mark a few years prior. With Jack as its founding (and only) member, I was thrilled to join the club.

For my wife Debbie and me, our involvement with the American Ireland Fund has made for many memorable evenings. At the Dinner, we connect with more colleagues and friends than nearly any other night of the year. More importantly, we celebrate and support the people served and lives changed through the American Ireland Fund.

Plain and simply, we are motivated by the people touched by the money AIF raises: the people with mental retardation who now can experience the joy of their first ever Special Olympics; the desperate and distraught who now have a neighbor to call 24 hours a day 365 days a year, thanks to the Samaritans; the tortured and violated who now have a voice thanks to the work of Frontline; and thousands more whose lives are transformed thanks to the reach of the AIF.

 Owen Lynch

I first became involved with the AIF in the early 1980's as a guest at the Annual Dinner. Since then I have been attending the Annual Dinners almost every year. In 1997 I went to the Annual Dinner in Dublin and I got to see first hand the great work being done there by the AIF. When you see the impact one dinner has on the lives of so many in Ireland, you have to be terribly pleased to be a part of it. Even more satisfying is to know that every Annual Dinner in Boston brings a new round of charity in Ireland reaching new beneficiaries and new projects in need of our help.

 Peter Lynch

So many neighborhoods in Ireland have benefited from the AIF -- structures that are hundreds of years old that have been saved, along with the help of the locals, for the benefit of the whole community. In particular, we have personally been involved with a project in the small village of Croagh to stabilize the community center, helped to build a soccer field and it has really made a huge difference within the local community. In addition, in Northern Ireland, the AIF has done a spectacular job helping with the peace process and furthering education. These are things to be extremely proud of.

 Jack Manning

I first became involved with the AIF through Jack Dunfey—a true humanitarian and a great example of the AIF culture. Ireland had always possessed a mythical quality because my immigrant grandparents spoke of it in such terms. Through AIF, the culture of Ireland was no longer mythical - it was tangible and relevant in my daily life.

My most memorable experience with the AIF was meeting John Hume. Here was a man who won the Noble Peace Prize, who risked his life and his family's life for the cause of peace so that future generations of both Catholics and Protestants could have a better life. He contrasts very strongly with other world leaders who believe that bombing one's way to peace is the only option.

Without doubt, the board of directors and the members of the AIF make one big family.. Every person I have met has been delightful, interesting, self effacing and very enjoyable to be with. It doesn't matter young or old, members of the AIF make you part of the family.

I continue to be motivated by the work still to be done. Although much progress has been achieved, Northern Ireland remains a cauldron and it is especially troubling that the schools are not integrated. How then, will this generation of children ever throw off the mantle of bigotry and hate if segregation continues in the schools. It pleases me that the AIF is taking on this major impediment to a lasting peace and I am proud to be a part of this effort. In the future, I hope that the next generation of Irish Americans will continue seeking the goals of the AIF -- that the younger generation does not see Ireland as a distant story land which they have heard their parents and grandparents speak about. AIF needs to be relevant to the so called X and Y generations just as it is today to the generation of baby boomers .

 Gene McQuade

I first became involved with the AIF because of a desire to give back to my roots. Boston helping Ireland—the city that embraced my work and my involvement with AIF. My most memorable experience with the AIF was receiving the Les Quick award at the New York dinner. I have had a long time business and personal relationship with the Quick family and have admired their generosity to AIF. To receive an honor in his name was very special.

Through my involvement I have achieved a better understanding of the school integration issues in Northern Ireland and how essential the work of AIF is for its’ success. I am happy to have in some small way, contributed to the peace and growth of my family’s homeland. I am motivated by the progress that’s been made and the knowledge that there is still so much more to be done.

 Paul O’Brien

AIF provides the opportunity for many of we 'narrowbacks' to give back to the country of our fathers or grandfathers. The AIF work in Ireland reflects a thoughtful, positive and significant contribution to improving the cultural climate of the land which will always be our second home.

 Kevin Phelan

The “why” I got involved is most easily defined by my revelation at Mass during my first visit to Ireland in June 1998, when I looked around at the faces of the people sitting within the pews during the service. I reflected at how brave my grandparents had to have been to immigrate from their native land and from the pain and hunger they were living with. I realized then that the good fortune I have today is truly a result of their braveness then.

 Patrick Purcell

My most memorable experience with the AIF was the trip to Belfast in 1998 with John Hume as our tour guide. It was rewarding to see the children of Ireland at various schools in Belfast, and to see the progress that was made as a result of the Good Friday Agreement. The work, however, is not done and I would like to see a peaceful and nondiscriminatory culture in all of Ireland.

 Bob Reynolds

I first became involved with the AIF when I attended a dinner in the early 90s with Owen Larking. Jack Manning then asked me to be on his dinner committee. Now one of my most memorable times was chairing the dinner in 2003, which was a record-breaking year.

I am motivated by the work the AIF does for the people of Northern Ireland, and hope that eventually we will be able to eradicate the segregation that still exists.

 Mike Sheehan

My most memorable experience is visiting the Shankill neighborhood of Belfast. I had the chance to see, first hand, the role that poverty plays in parts of the world where there is hatred and violence.

The Ireland Funds are committed to long-term solutions, beginning with improved education, that will result in prosperity in the not-too-distant future. I’m thoroughly convinced that with prosperity comes peace.

 Thomas Sheppard

 Nancy Sterling

For three years I was lucky enough to travel to Ireland with The American Ireland Fund, including two trips to the north, to see firsthand the impact our donated dollars have on people’s lives. One particular memorable experience was visiting an integrated school where Protestant and Catholic children greeted our bus with handmade signs of welcome followed by a special show and homemade food prepared for our benefit.

Having seen the positive impact of integration, I am delighted that we are funding an integrated high school for our 25th Anniversary to cultivate the outstanding interaction we have helped to nurture.

 Bob Stevenish

For both Marianne and I, The AIF has made the world seem a little smaller. It has made us aware of the true needs of children throughout the world. The most memorable event for us was the presentation in Nantucket of the then upcoming Special Olympics in Ireland. It is a very important organization and we were both thrilled to see The AIF work with Special Olympics.

Knowing that children are truly the beneficiaries of my involvement has been my greatest reward. I continue to be motivated by the many ways that The AIF is able to help the people of Ireland, and the feeling that our work there is never done. I hope that the next generation of The AIF leaders continues to be as dedicated as Loretta Brennan Glucksman and her team.

 Bill Swanson

In November of 2005, at the 23rd Gala Dinner, I had the privilege to share the evening with Bill Russell, former Boston Celtics star. That evening we heard about the need for integrated education in Northern Ireland. I was struck by the similarity with challenges Boston, and indeed, our entire nation is facing.

I also believe that whether we are talking about a company or a country, an inclusive culture is so enabling because all good ideas are not only accommodated but valued. Clearly inclusive solutions start with people of good will who devote time and resources to promote opportunity. The Fund’s leadership in this area is truly commendable.

It is satisfying to know the AIF is making a difference for the people of Ireland. It is an honor to be involved with a group of highly motivated people who strive to give back to society.