About 200 people attended and it's really great to connect with so many Irish people and enjoy what is culturally very much an Irish night out while also supporting a good cause. There is good banter, dancing and the odd beverage (plenty of Irish coffee doing the rounds) and those of us willing to soldier on end up in a local Irish bar for a night cap (or four) until the wee hours of the morning.
This year the guest speaker was Charlie Bird (currently working as RTE's political correspondent in Washington DC and an icon of Irish journalism for many many years). He spoke about how he has come to appreciate the importance of honesty (in the media, in how you deal with the media and in general) and also about how he has 'been lonely' in Washington these past twelve months having not been able to connect in a meaningful / personal way with people there. Two large topics, the former being perceived as partly at the heart of much of our current troubles be they social, political or economic while the latter hasn't been my experience (with certain exceptions) whether that is a Mid West versus East Coast phenomenon, to do with my connections here via Biz or purely chance I am not sure.
We had the pleasure of Charlie's company over dinner and he came across as both down to earth and sincere while he did seem to be 'on duty' for the evening and not entirely relaxed. He is about to become a grandfather and has decided that he will move back to Ireland soon and we wish him well.
2 comments:
interesting that you met Charlie Bird! He got a lot of slagging here over his recent documentary (1st year as RTE US correspondent). Very clear that he was lonely and a fish out of water!
Small world. Didn't Chris Shiels go out with Charlie Bird's sister many moons ago? Well 10 years ago actually - Millennium NY on Achill Is!
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