Oct 29, 2005 : 26th ANNIVERSARY EMERALD BALL, TORONTO

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Did you dance the night away on October 29th? Did “Little Arrows” pierce through memories of nights in Ireland’s band halls? It was a magical night at the Fairmont Royal York for all guests at The Ireland Fund of Canada’s 23 rd Emerald Ball.

The celebrities and dignitaries celebrated The Ireland Fund of Canada’s commitment to peace and reconciliation and the community of those who want to preserve Irish heritage in Canada and Ireland. Policing Oversight Commissioner and Canadian, Al Hutchinson gave a most interesting talk on his experiences during these final stages of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

The Irish Ambassador Martin Burke and Mrs. Mary Burke, Deputy British Consul General Mike Upton and Mrs. Susan Upton, Police Chief Bill Blair and Mrs. Susan Blair ( celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary), Colm and Deirdre Wilkinson, Ted Murphy, Honourary Chair of the WineGeese Society and Director of Chateau de La Ligne, France and Mrs. Garry Murphy, John Doyle, critic for the Globe and Mail and author, Miss World Canada 2005 Ramona Rena Amir were all in attendance and added to the elegance and cultural cache of the evening.

And of course, it was Cork’s own Brendan O’Brien of the Dixie’s with our own Trisha and Aideen O’Brien and Paul Noonan who closed the evening with a full dance floor!

A tremendous and most successful gala raising over $137,000 due to the generosity of our corporate sponsors: CIBC, Chateau de La Ligne, Diageo Canada Inc., Jameson’s Irish Whiskey Shorcan Brokers Limited, Tourism Ireland. Our wonderful Committee of volunteers chaired by Susan Storey closed the year with a beautiful celebration of all that the Irish and Ireland have to offer.