New York Celtic Christmas Celebration : 11.30.06

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On Thursday, November 30th, The American Ireland Fund New York Young Leaders hosted their second annual New York Celtic Christmas Celebration at Moran's Chelsea. Surrounded by the authentic Irish atmosphere of Moran's - resplendent with Waterford Crystal, a traditional Irish bar and Christmas décor - the event attracted over 250 guests. The spirited festivities included dinner, dancing, the presentation of the Young Leader of the Year Award and two raffle drawings for a Luxury Trip to Ireland.

During the brief program, Ireland Fund Board Member and AIF Director Sheila O'Malley presented the first-ever annual Young Leader of the Year Award to Tara McCabe. The award is bestowed to the Young Leader who represents the spirit of philanthropy for 2006 and was voted on by the Young Leaders. Tara is the inaugural recipient of the award and during her acceptance speech, she thanked Sheila as a role model and expressed gratitude to her fellow Young Leaders.

Additionally, AIF Vice President Kieran McLoughlin and New York Regional Director Maureen Gillespie addressed the audience and spoke about the impact of the Young Leaders on philanthropic projects throughout Ireland, including Barretstown, Belvedere Youth Club, the National Institute for the Study of Learning Difficulties at Trinity College, Playing for Peace and Sesame Street in Northern Ireland.

Maureen congratulated the Young Leaders on raising over $260,000 in 2006 and also announced that the St. Patrick's Day Celebration will be held on Thursday, March 15th at the New York Athletic Club. Damian DeSola and Sean Gaffey will preside as co-chairs of the event.

Additonally, the evening also featured two raffle drawings for a Luxury Holiday to Ireland. Special guests John Duddy, Middleweight Boxer (ranked 16th in the world) and Tina Flaherty, business woman and author of What Jackie Taught Us, announced the two winners - Tom Schmitt of the DeSola Group and Andrew Cook, Esquire.

All in all, the evening was a spirited kick-off to the Chrismas season, a celebration of the group's accomplishments, and a toast to the anticipated success of 2007

Photo index

1. Jason & Kathryn O'Connor and Ed & Kathy Breheny
2. AIF Board Member Sheila O'Malley presents the "Young Leader of the Year Award" to Tara McCabe
3. Kathleen Ryan, Rob Fox, Joe Berry, Katie Rustum
4. Natasha Austin, Tim O'Connor and Christine Harrington
5. Kevin Murray, Middleweight Boxer John Duddy, and Rob Fox
6. Craig Watters and Evelyn Brady
7. Guest, Tina Flaherty, John Duddy & Tom Schmitt
8. John Madden, Amanda Skinner and guests
9. Guests
10. Guests
11. Sean Gaffey, Damian DeSola, guest and Patrick Fitzpatrick
12. Guests peruse silent auction items
13. Raffle winner Tom Schmitt celebrates his win
14. Maureen Gillespie shouts the winning numbers
15. World renowned boxer John Duddy picks the raffle winner
16. Guests from Invest Northern Ireland
17. Guests
18. John Duddy, Tina Flaherty and Kevin Murray pick the second raffle winner
19. Christine and Joseph Schmitt
20. Adrian Lally and Iolanda Palmieri Lally

Tara McCabe - New York Young Leader 2006

A dedicated and passionate AIF supporter since 2004, Tara is a member of the Core Group, a committee comprised of seven Young Leaders who shape the Young Leaders program. She served as Co-Chairperson of the 2006 Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration - a sellout event which generated $190,000 and helped initiate a five-year financial strategy to raise $1,000,000. As a Young Leader Patron, she meets regularly with her mentor, New York Regional Board Member Brian Ruane and is admired for her commitment to the Irish-American community in New York City. As a first generation American born of parents from County Leitrim, Tara grew up surrounded by Irish culture. Her connections to Ireland deepened when she spent her junior year of college at the National University of Ireland in Galway. There she studied Irish history, politics and developed a true love for her ancestral homeland. Tara visits Ireland annually and recently completed the Longford Half-Marathon during a recent family visit. Tara has also run marathons in New York, Boston and Anchorage, helping to raise money for the Children’s Hospital in Boston and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Tara currently works at Morgan Stanley where she is a Vice President in Alternative Investments. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross, where she majored in Religious Studies.