On Thursday, June 9th, The American Ireland Fund San Francisco Young Leaders gathered in the Wine Room at Pete's Tavern – San Francisco's premier sports bar located right across the street from the AT & T ballpark – for a pre-game reception. One of the best games on the baseball schedule that night was to be the Cincinnati Reds who traveled out west to take on the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Giants fever was in full swing and the bar was abuzz!
Regional Director, Marjorie Muldowney, greeted the AIF group which included Vice-Consul Barry O'Brien, along with Joey Nevin of the SF Giants who helped arrange Club Level seats for the Young Leaders, and Kerry Egan of The Villagio in Napa. Fiona Ryan & Torrey Rothstein were there as well as Joey Toboni, Mike McGrath, Rose Costello, Kelli Nevin, Bridget Mulhearn, Gillian Silver, Mark Johnston of Invest Northern Ireland, Ryan Fox & Kathryn West, Melinda Miller, and Ivan Harrow made it in just on time from Phoenix. Blackrock College Development Director Luke O'Toole caught up with former 'Rock boy, Peter Martin, who was there with his wife, Dorie as well as Stephen Pompili and Adam Davison.
This was Irish Heritage Night at AT&T Park, complete with bagpipes and Irish dancers, and thousands of black & orange clad fans gathered to cheer the San Francisco Giants on to victory. There was a roar of approval when The American Ireland Fund was recognized on the big screen at the Park in the third inning. We expected that it was going to be very difficult for the Reds to overcome arguably the best pitching staff in professional baseball. Everyone knows about Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathon Sanchez, and the latest sensation, Ryan Vogelsong. However, the best laid plans by the San Francisco Giants were axed as they were blanked in a 3-0 shutout by the Cincinnati Reds. We had fun anyway! The fog was kept at bay for most of the evening and the breeze blowing in from the water was crisp but garlic fries and lots of beers kept everyone smiling, along with pints of Guinness and Irish coffees.
Cheers – and Go Giants!
