By Paddy McCarthy
Every October, the Ireland Chamber of Commerce-USA (ICCUSA) hosts the American Celtic Ball, an awards banquet/dinner dance, attended by more than a hundred business and government leaders from Ireland, the US and around the world. The event is held at the famous Plaza Hotel in Manhattan which honors individuals who have demonstrated a commitment of excellence through business, philanthropy, commerce, education and the arts. This invitation-only dinner has become extremely popular while offering ICCUSA members a valuable networking opportunity.
In addition to philanthropic endeavors throughout the evening, a portion of the proceeds from the American Celtic Ball will also benefit the ICCUSA Foundation or also known as the Albert Schweitzer Leadership for Life (ASLFL) program. This youth leadership development program works to inspire and enable young adults (ages 15 to 18 years old) all across the globe to become confident and effective leaders, as well as good stewards of their local and global communities.
The Ireland Chamber of Commerce – USA (ICCUSA) provides value to its corporate and individual Members through ample networking events and educational forums throughout their multiple chapters in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Georgia. They also have strategic partnerships with Chambers Ireland which is the country’s largest business organization, with 60 member chambers representing over 13,000 businesses throughout the island of Ireland. In addition, they also have a close partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. which has over 4 million members worldwide.
This year’s Guests of Honor are Michael Dowling, John Matson and Basil Geoghegan. Yes, I will be there as a guest to cover this annual famous event and of course at the Plaza Hotel. I am told that there are some tickets available. For more information or to purchase tables, tickets and ads, please contact victoria@iccusa.org.
I received this special announcement that this Fall, the County Clare PB&S Association of New York is to gather to honor an outstanding member of the community while enjoying their culture and friendship: “The Board is extremely pleased to announce this year’s Clare Person of the Year is Paul Keating. A native of New York City was doubly blessed with Clare heritage through his parents Martin Keating from Ballyea, Inagh and Mary Murray from Caherderry, Ennistymon. Paul is a proud Irish-American who is well known in many Irish circles due to his passion for traditional Irish arts, particularly Irish music and his interests as an independent professional writer and editor. He edited the Clare Centennial Book “An Clar Abu” after the 1988 Centenary Celebrations. In addition to being a Past President (1989-1990) and current Treasurer of the County Clare PB&S Association of NY Paul currently serves as the Artistic Director for Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, was a Traditional Music Contributing Columnist to the Irish Voice and the Public Relations Officer, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann, North America where he also serves on the CCE Executive Council in Dublin as a delegate from North America.”
Their 134th Anniversary Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday, October 14 , 2023 at the Irish American Center of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens located at 297 Willis Avenue in Mineola. This year’s event will begin with a cocktail hour at 7 pm followed by dinner and dancing from 8 pm to 12 midnight to the music of the Tommy Mulvihill Band. Dinner dance tickets are $95 each.
I got this from our friends at the Hudson Valley Irish Fest: “Friends a bit late to put in this announcement in the last issue of The Irish Examiner USA. The news was that the festival was cancelled because of severe weather conditions.” I would have done the same myself as it was the right decision to make from the organizers of the festival. While they understand this may be disappointing, they are committed to making a rescheduled festival even more remarkable and memorable. It continued, “We appreciate your understanding and support during this challenging time. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We value your partnership and look forward to working together to create an incredible celebration of Hudson Valley and Irish-American heritage in the near future. We want to thank the following local establishments for their support: 140 Grand in Croton on Hudson, The Central Bistro at Peekskill Train Station and on Division St in Downtown Peekskill, the new location of Gleason’s, and Peekskill’s newest Irish pub.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Out&About and I’ll see you all again next week.