It’s nice to know we are getting back into some sort of normalacy with things like bars, restaurants, sports and some theatre that we all hope will continue to be in full swing. I also just got word that we have a few events happening in the near future and one in particular is the New York GAA Banquet that will be held Saturday, June 12. This will be The Gaelic Athletic Association of Greater New York’s 87th Annual Banquet and it will be held at Fairways at Dunwoodie (1 Wasylenko Lane in Yonkers). The evening starts at 7 pm and goes on till 11 pm with cocktails, dinner and dancing with the one and only Mary G and Frankie Lee with tickets at $100 per person. It already promises to be a great evening as they have some very worthy guests starting with the Guest of Honor Michael Kennedy, a good Tipperary man from the village of Toomevera.
Mike was encouraged at an early age to get involved in the local community Foróige and Hurling clubs, and his first hurling success came in 1977, winning North Tipperary and County U12 medals. Shortly after his arrival in New York in 1985, Mike played his first GAA game with the Limerick Hurlers. He moved on to Tipperary the following year, playing Junior before advancing to Senior, and has held many positions including president of the Tipperary Hurling Club over the past thirty years. At present, Michael is on the management team of the St. Barnabas FB Club, Chairman of the Minor Board Hurling, and manager and coach with the Le Cheile Hurling Club NY.
The Achievement Award goes to Donie O’Sullivan all the way from Bantry, County Cork and many a good night I had there myself. Donie developed a love for the game during his childhood down in the Borlin Valley playing with his local club, St. Colum’s. Like many others, Donie found himself involved in the GAA shortly after his arrival in NY. He played with Cork, Limerick, St. Raymond’s and Louth-Celtics. In early 1970, Donie started the Fordham Irish American Club which later evolved into what is now known as the New York Celtics Football Club. He has spent countless hours in many roles in Gaelic Park, and has influenced his children and grandchildren and even the children of the children he once coached. Almost sixty years later, the NYGAA is still a major part of Donie’s life.
New to this year’s event is the GAA Community Spirit Award which they are proud to be presenting to Seamus and Caitriona Clarke. Natives of County Leitrim, Seamus (Gortletteragh) and Caitriona (Drumshanbo) are the proprietors of JP Clarke’s Saloon in Yonkers and what a great meeting place it is. In addition to their involvement with the Leitrim FB Club, they are sponsors of the Leitrim Ladies, the Offaly GAA, the Westmeath GAA, and, most recently, the St. Barnabas Senior FB team. In early April 2020, at a meeting of local business owners and community leaders, called to order by Seamus and Caitriona, Sláinte 2020, a collective fundraising effort to assist the Irish community during the Covid-19 crisis, was launched, ultimately raising $600,000 and thereby providing financial relief to hundreds of Irish individuals and families.
Now let me tell yea, don’t miss this great evening as the who’s who of the Irish sporting world should be attending.
Talking about events, another comes to mind and that is The Ancient Order of Hibernians’ The Second Annual Golf Outing “Nine and Dine” that will take place on Thursday, June 24th at 5pm.They still have room for Golfers at $125 each. So all you golfers out there pick up the phone and call as you are all invited and it’s also a very good cause. If you want to just have dinner, it’s only $40. To book a place by credit card, call Joe McDonald the AOH financial secretary and President of Division 20 at (917) 974-3906.
Now here’s another piece of news from The Irish Repertory Theatre that I know will interest you and here we go: Join Irish Rep Online for an evening of music and songs celebrating their thirty-two years of bringing the best Irish and Irish American stories to our stage – including their digital one! This one-night-only event, whose title is drawn from W.B. Yeats’s poem “Under Ben Bulben,” will celebrate their “indomitable Irishry” and look to the future as they celebrate the artistic accomplishments of the acclaimed master clown, Tony Award-winning actor and MacArthur, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellow Bill Irwin and present the Champions of the Arts Award to best-selling author and marketing powerhouse, Mary Lou Quinlan, and Joe Quinlan, former president of Time Inc. Television and senior producer of the “MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour.”
They will raise our glasses to toast with Irish Rep stars from around the globe, while an evening of song unfolds on the Irish Rep digital stage. Proceeds will help them continue to employ actors and theatre artists while producing vital new works by Irish and Irish-American playwrights. Reservations are free but required to access this one-night-only event. For more information on donations and sponsorship you can check out the event on their website at https://irishrep.org/event/irish-rep-online-2021/2021-gala-the-indomitable-irishry.
See you all again next week when I am Out&About…