connect 2018 • 42 KEVIN CURLEY IS APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF THE IRELAND FUNDS WINEGEESE SOCIETY The WineGeese Society is proud to announce that Kevin Curley has been appointed as the new Chairman of The Ireland Funds WineGeese Society. Kevin has been a long-standing and committed member of the Society to which he has been most generous. Members were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Sharkey, one of the Founding Chairs of The Ireland Funds WineGeese Society. John, together with his wife Helen, travelled on many of the WineGeese trips throughout the years. Prior to John’s passing, he along with his founding Co-Chairs, Ken Gorman and John Tillotson, had taken the decision to step back from the day-to-day manage- ment of the Society and jointly proposed Kevin as Chairman. Ken Gorman and John Tillotson will now assume the position of Chairmen Emeritus and remain fully involved in all the WineGeese events and tours. The central activity for 2018 is the tour of the Finger Lakes of New York from September 20 to 23, 2018. We look forward to sharing a report on this trip in the next Spring/Summer 2019 edition of Connect magazine. Members of The Ireland Funds WineGeese Society represent some of The Ireland Funds’ most generous donors. The Society celebrates wine, food and art of Irish provenance from around the world while raising support for the work of The Ireland Funds. The name “WineGeese” comes from the story of the Wild Geese—a term coined to describe a group of Irish families who fled Ireland in the 17th century and established successful wineries around the world. Today, members enjoy access to private trips, tours, and tastings at vineyards around the world. All activities are funded by WineGeese Society members. A B O U T T H E I R E L A N D F U N D S W I N E G E E S E S O C I E T Y