The Los Angeles American Ireland Fund kicked off the Holiday season with a convivial Celtic Christmas celebration on Tuesday, December 3rd. West Coast Director Marjorie Muldowney thanked Dr. Tom Lomis & Debbie Lomis who sponsored this festive Christmas party in the penthouse at a private Beach Club in Santa Monica, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The evening was also made possible by generous support from S & P Capital IQ. Los Angeles Regional Advisory Board Members present included Kaitlyn Cafferky, Tom Barry, Harry Hartford, Sean Kneafsey, Jim Layden, Patricia Danaher, Meredith Long and Conor Shalloe – and there was a special welcome for dear friends of the Fund, Anne & Jimmy Murphy, and Margaret Hayhurst.
This night was about remembering back & looking forward as we continue to build our network in Los Angeles. It was the first AIF Celtic Christmas reception in LA and Marjorie Muldowney spoke of Ireland's unique seasonal traditions. These included the practice of a candle in the window on Christmas eve or hanging a holly wreath on doors (yes, this originated in Ireland!) as holly was one of the main plants that flourished at Christmas time, giving everyone ample means with which to decorate their homes. In Ireland, all decorations are traditionally taken down on Little Christmas (January 6th) and it is considered bad luck to take them down before that. And there’s the traditional Irish greeting "Nollaig Shona Duit," – our way of saying 'Merry Christmas! Many of these customs have their roots in a time when our Gaelic culture and religion of the country were supressed, but they’ve survived into modern times.
For over 150 years, the Irish have played a major role in the success of Los Angeles. They came here with dreams of making their fortune – and many went on to make a contribution that significantly impacted future generations of Angelenos. They had great attributes like wit and an entrepreneurial spirit – and often those famous “smiling eyes”! From the city’s earliest days, its history is filled with the names of exceptional men like John Downey who came from Roscommon in 1850, becoming the youngest Governor of California in 1860. He was a successful rancher & property developer who founded the city of Downey and his many philanthropies included the gift of a tract of land as the original site of USC. And we remember William Mulholland who arrived in 1876 and after joining the Los Angeles Water Company, he undertook construction of the first aqueduct in the U.S. From sport with names like Dunleavy & O’Malley, to politics with Ronald Reagan & Richard Riordan, and of course the arts with a long list of Irish performers, we have made our mark. And we continue to do so.
Our guests at the event symbolized many aspects of that success. The field of entertainment was represented by Matt McCoy (Seinfeld, Police Academy) with his wife Mary, and also by Tim Murphy, Pat O'Brien, and Olivia Tracey. From business and finance came Tom Barry of UBS, Jim Layden of Deutsche Bank, Matthew Doran of RBC Capital Markets, Adam Wagner of S & P Capital IQ, and Maryann Kelly of Wells Fargo. Also present were Susan Hartford, Joe Watters, President of Bel-Air Country Club, Adrienne Fontanella, Julie & Dan Murphy, Michele Shalloe, Michelle & Jonathan Loughran, Jane & Sean Browne, and Tom Napier. From the legal world came Shannon Anderson, Charlie Callanan, Bill Grantham, Eon Gubbins, Kenneth Kilroy, Alan Hearty, and from real estate came Christina Cha of Kennedy-Wilson with Elliot Lemberger.
It was a jolly evening with lively chatter, rounded out by a magnificent performance by Jim Layden who led the group with a soaring rendition of "The Fields of Athenry" and "Danny Boy".
Merry Christmas to all!