Out & About

I am going to start this column on a very sad note with the news that our friend DJ Carey is very sick and needs a lot of prayers to help him make a recovery from Lou Gehrig's syndrome that he contracted last year.

Let me tell you, as you probably already know, that DJ is a pillar here in the Irish Community and is the first guest to be invited to all the special Irish events, dinners and concerts around the the city of New York and also in the Hamptons where he is very well known and, if there is a Irish party going on, well what can I say but that you are going to see DJ at it I promise.

I can call him a great friend because sometimes I do not get invited some of the events and he the first one to ask me am I going; if not he enquires to makes sure that I am.

Thank you always DJ and I miss the times when you were out and about.

We got to meet Jean Clancy at the Garrett Doyle event in Ireland House last Thursday and she invited me out to her new Claret Wine Bar (46-02 Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens, (718) 937-7411) to which I am going this Wednesday at 5pm, and from which I have heard that this is the place to be and be seen. I was also told that Barbara McCormick will be there so I am sure we will be lofting a few wines.

There's another big concert coming up at the Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury on Long Island on Saturday August 8 who'll be presenting a Girls Night Out starring legendary performer Cyndi Lauper and stand-up comedian Rosie O'Donnell.

Tickets start at $49 and are available exclusively online at LiveNation.com, charged by phone at 1-877-598-8694, at the Westbury box office, and at participating Blockbuster® stores. You can save 25% when you purchase a 4-pack of tickets while supplies last.

For membership information, visit www.westburymembership.com.

What a night we had last Thursday at the Consulate General of Ireland to honor Garrett Doyle as The Irish Examiner newspaper's first annual Man of the Year.

The evening attracted a capacity crowd for this great occasion as the guests came from all walks of life to honor this man and to show their appreciation for all his good work in the Irish Community.

Down from Albany you had Chris Callaghan who should be running for Comptroller again very soon (check out his video on YouTube and you can here Chris singing a few bars for his campaign). Also down from Albany were Tom Ryan along with the great Jeff Cleary and the party began.

Tommy Smyth the world-famous sports announcer from ESPN got the night started by reading out the proclamation from the New York City Council and then he introduced Brendan O'Caollai, the Deputy Consul General of Ireland who did a fine job I can tell you and read out a letter from the President of Ireland Mary McEleese for Garrett.

I will name a few people who attended the event: you had David O'Sullivan from The Ireland-US Council, Greg Harrington the famous violinist, Noel McCarthy, Dave Cremin and his brother Niall Cremin, Barbara McCormick, The Irish Examiner's Woman of the Year Therese Crowe and Jack Irwin and his wife Marie, Joe McManus president of the United Irish Counties, Pat Brady, Michael Prunty of AOH Division 4, Mary Power president of the Cork Association, Deidre O'Hea, Joe Cunningham and his Dad, the famous boxer John Duddy, Gregory McIntyre, Eddie Dowling of the Padded Wagon, Eamonn Maher, Hilary Beirne and John Dunleavy from the New York Saint Patrick's Day Parade Committee, Dan and Siobhan Dennehy from the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, Martin Dunne president of the Tipperary Association, Michael Gubbins and his wife Caroline, Cammy and Sarah O'Callaghan and, believe me, there were lots more that I would love to mention, but it would take up the whole paper; so please forgive me as I do respect everyone who came out on a very wet night.

See you next week...