Over 250 young professionals gathered at the New York Yacht Club to support The Ireland Funds’ vital work across the island of Ireland. Claudia Cotter, Development and Young Leaders Manager, welcomed guests and thanked the generous sponsors and committee members for making the evening possible. She highlighted the organization’s 50th anniversary and noted how the Young Leaders represent the next generation of The Ireland Funds.

Committee members Ciara Gogan-Lynch and Alex Owens then introduced the 2026 Young Leader of the Year, Dan Delaney. They shared that Dan was selected in recognition of his leadership and initiative in establishing the first-ever Young Leaders Scholarship. Conceived and led by Dan, this fully funded, four-year scholarship—supported by contributions from fellow committee members—will provide an Irish student the opportunity to study at the University of Limerick.

The program concluded with fantastic Irish Dancing Performance, by Kaitlyn Sardin.

A big thank you to all our generous sponsors, including: The Corcoran Family Suzanne Corcoran; Stripe; Affect Group; CrossCountry Consulting; RSM; The Mccabe & Kelly Families Tara McCabe Kelly; Childrens Medical Research Foundation (USA); IDI Consulting; Irish Network NYC; Linesight; McCann FitzGerald LLP; Matheson LLP