The Ireland Funds Chicago Young Leaders came together on March 6th for a St Patrick’s Celebration at The Galway Arms.
Over 70 friends, old and new, gathered for a wonderful evening together. Young Leaders Chair James Keeley welcomed the group and spoke about looking ahead in 2025 and creating more opportunities to support the work of The Ireland Funds.
Áine Mallaghan, Vice President of Development, The Ireland Funds Midwest, spoke about the work of The Ireland Funds, the impact that has been made in Ireland and here in Chicago and how to get involved. Áine also highlighted the Worldwide Conference that will be held in Dublin 18-20 June 2026 on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of The Ireland Funds.
James welcomed Vice-Consul General of Ireland, Padráig Manning, who spoke about the role of the Irish Consulate in Chicago and the Midwest an the important relationship between Ireland and the USA.
James introduced Abbey McKeon, past Chair of Chicago Young Leaders, who was stepping down from the Young Leaders committee to move to the East Coast. Abbey has been involved with the Chicago Young Leaders since 2014 and was thanked by all for being instrumental in growing and building the Chicago chapter.
Chicago Bulls tickets and merchandise were part of the evening’s raffle, thanks to Sarah Smyth, Executive Director at the Chicago Bulls.
A silent auction was very popular on the night and special thanks to Pat Canning, Daragh Watson, Quinn McCarthy, Celtic Crossings, The Kerryman, Chubi Sweetman and Lisi Lerch for all the auction prizes.
Thank you to the staff at The Galway Arms for their hospitality. We look forward to seeing our wonderful friends and supporters in Chicago throughout 2025.
