by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Jul 1, 2014 | Seattle
Coinciding with H.E Anne Anderson, Ireland’s first female Ambassador to the U.S, visit to Seattle, the Chamber had a special WIBLI breakfast event. Presented by the Irish Network, the event drew in 146 women (and a few brave men!)
Anderson’s anecdotes, advice and words of encouragement to women in business captivated Tuesday’s crowd. In regards to keeping women leaders in the workplace throughout their careers, Anderson said, “The pipeline is great, but somewhere along the way, we spring a leak and start losing women.”
Speaking to the challenges that women face while maintaining a work-life balance, Anderson also shared personal stories of her own life. Thinking back to her own daughter, she recounted “On the tough days, make a decision and stick to it. Don’t beat yourself up about it afterwards.” She finished with words of encouragement to all mothers in the business community, “Remember that someday your daughter will thank you. Sooner than you think.”
Anderson concluded her talk by encouraging women to remember, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You owe something to your society, your country, and your time.”
For more WIBLI resources, click here.
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Jun 21, 2014 | Austin, Houston, In The News, Press Releases, Uncategorized
Gavin Glynn is a 4-year-old boy from Greystones, Co.Wicklow, Ireland who needs urgent life saving cancer treatment in Houston, Texas. He was diagnosed with cancer at just 17 months and has battled the illness for almost three years. Little Gavin suffers from Rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a rare cancerous tumour of the pelvic muscles. Tragically, after undergoing numerous treatments and surgery in Dublin’s Our Lady’s Hospital, Gavin’s tumour continues to spread and he has now been given just months to live. Gavin’s last hope is to travel to Texas for the pioneering surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The ground-breaking procedure called HIPEC, which is only available in Texas, is a procedure that involves open surgery to remove any tumors in Gavin’s pelvis. Medics will then insert chemotherapy drugs, heated to 42 degrees, into Gavin’s abdominal region to kill any microscopic cancer cells present. His family are trying desperately to raise the $450,000 that the treatment will cost.John said that “luckily Gavin likes airplanes and can’t wait to take off in a jumbo jet. We need your help to get there, we need your help to save my boy”.
For any further questions or assistance please call 214 535 9465.
For more information or to donate, click here.
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Jun 16, 2014 | Buffalo
Assemblyman Michael Kearns said it was an honor to have Peter Ryan, Deputy Consul General of Ireland, in his office on Monday to discuss sister city relations with Ireland and Western New York.
“We have to get Upstate New York, Western New York, and Buffalo better known to Ireland. We have a lot to offer, we have a lot that we can partner in and I think any type of relationship begins with a handshake and friendship and that’s what we are looking to do through sister cities,” said Kearns.
Kearns and Louise Simon Schoene, NYS Coordinator of Sister Cities International, greeted Ryan with Buffalonian gifts to remind him of Western New York.
Among the gifts he received was a book about Buffalo, a sister cities pin, a Buffalo statue, and more. Ryan was elated with his welcome and promised to spread the good word of Buffalo to those in Ireland.
“The warm welcome here reminds me very much of being back home,” said Ryan. “It’s more important than ever that we reach out to our wonderful Irish American community to try to understand them a little bit better and listen to them a little bit more. And as well as having these ties of heritage and culture with our Irish dancing and our parades and sports, let’s see if we can do business together because who better to tell us how to do business in the United States than Irish Americans?”
Ryan’s mission with the Consulate General of Ireland was to create an Irish network called Irish Network Buffalo (IN-Buffalo). The goal of the network, which launched Wednesday, is to make connections with Irish and Irish American professionals and let people know that there is a commonality.
“Buffalo is a very unique place because of the links with Ireland historically, which includes the invasion of another country. Every Irish child learns about
Buffalo because it is part of our history,” said Ryan.
The meeting also emphasized the importance of educating those in Ireland about Western New York. New York State is ranked number two for international students and having Ireland students come to Buffalo for internships and studies abroad is essential for international relations, tourism, and economic development.
“It helps so many people here and abroad,” said Schoene. “It’s good for the state. It’s good for the community. It’s good for the country and it’s good for the world.”
“Our goal is to attract businesses here and develop some bilateral relationships,” said Kevin Kearns, Vice President for Engagement and Economic Development at SUNY Fredonia. “We want to take advantage of our natural resources and our strategic opportunities to bring in businesses and create jobs. And from a university perspective, we want to try and keep our graduates here contributing to business, to starting new businesses and basically to revitalize the area with the universities anchoring that effort.”
Ryan is hopeful that IN-Buffalo will bring entrepreneurs, successful business people, teachers and community leaders from Ireland to be champions of Buffalo.
http://www.westsenecasun.com/news/Deputy_Consulate_General_of_Ireland_visits_West_Seneca_to_discuss_sister_cities.html
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Jun 6, 2014 | In The News, Press Releases
The Consulate General of Ireland in New York, Irish Network USA, William D. Johnston, Katie McCormick, Michael McDermott, and Ryan Newell will be hosting the Summer gathering of Irish Network Delaware on June 12, 2014, beginning at 5:30, at the offices of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, Rodney Square, 1000 North King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.Deputy Consul General Peter Ryan said, “Very much looking forward to joining with the Irish Network Delaware for this special event which will bring together friends of Ireland in the historic city of Wilmington. Connections between Ireland and Delaware are deep and vibrant and I have no doubt that over time we will see great growth in business links arising from the work of the Irish Network Delaware.”
Irish Network USA (“IN-USA”), a Delaware charitable nonstock corporation, is the national umbrella organization integrating the Irish Networks that exist in various cities across the United States. It allows members of the networks to connect with their peers and to develop relationships that will foster success in their business, economic, cultural and sports ventures.
IN-DE Member, Katie McCormick said, “Many Delawareans are connected to Ireland historically through their heritage. Among other things, Irish Network USA serves as a way to connect Delawareans to present-day Irish events and causes. I am excited to be among the persons fostering this connection and know that the organization will be warmly received.”
“With renewed efforts to strengthen our chapter in Delaware, Irish Network USA is continuing to make sure the Irish Diaspora has an opportunity to exercise their commitment to Ireland in a tangible way,” Steve Lenox, Co-President, Irish Network USA. “Delaware may be small in geography but the voices of the Irish, Irish Americans and ‘friends’ of Ireland throughout their state are mighty.”
The mission of IN-USA is: to bolster business opportunities and economic development between the United States and Ireland; to support and encourage Irish Arts and Culture through film, literature, theater, dance and language; to encourage and promote the mission and expansion of Irish sports, throughout the United States; to support the efforts of local Irish organizations and associations; to serve as a conduit between newly arrived Irish immigrants and their communities in Member cities and states.
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Photo Attached: L-R. Michael McDermott, Kathleen McCormick, Ryan Newell, and Deputy Consul General, Peter Ryan.
by Steve Lenox | Jun 5, 2014 | Blog, In The News
Over the past several years, from the highest reaches of the Irish government right through to those that we might refer to as the ‘rank and file’ of the Diaspora, great effort has been placed on finding bright spots in an otherwise gloomy view of Ireland’s economic standing and future growth potential.
Many of us know the stats and the one-liners, and recite them as comfortably as we do the ABCs. Ireland ‘punches above its weight’ and ‘Ireland is open for business’ are now common phrases. What PowerPoint presentation is complete without reminding us that Ireland is home to nine of the world’s top ten medical technology companies, ten top ‘born on the internet’ companies, and so forth and so on?
One thing we know for sure is that Ireland continues on the road to recovery. A strategic combination of economic belt tightening, successful messaging, and good old fashioned ‘can do’ seems to have pushed Ireland well ahead of other nations that stood shoulder to shoulder at the precipice of economic disaster. Huge credit for this turnaround also belongs to the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, whose teams continued to do more with less, never lost sight of their objectives and never missed a day of giving 110% towards attracting record levels of inward investment and opening up new markets for indigenous Irish companies.
Perhaps most importantly though, this road to recovery has been largely paved by efforts to engage the Diaspora in a more significant way, seeking their input, inviting them to be a part of Ireland’s resurgence, and encouraging them to connect with their ‘home’ in a more meaningful way.
Since being formally established in 2010, Irish Network USA has been proud to be part of these efforts, and has made giving our members an opportunity to exercise their emotional ties to Ireland in a tangible way, a cornerstone of our mission.
By providing a national framework and support, Irish Network USA and its chapters are able to offer high quality networking opportunities for Irish, Irish-Americans and ‘friends’ of Ireland; increase business opportunities and economic development between the United States and Ireland; connect newly arrived Irish immigrants with their communities in member cities and states, promote Irish Arts and Culture through film, literature, theatre, dance and language, support the promotion of Irish sports such as hurling and Gaelic Football, and complement the efforts of pre-existing Irish organizations and associations in INUSA Member cities.
Prior to the launch of Irish Network USA, these efforts existed within individual ‘IN’ chapters, but now flourish at a national level, with chapters learning and building from each other’s success.
Irish Network USA, through our chapters, has been proud to offer a platform to reach the Diaspora in efforts to continue to strengthen business and cultural links between the United States and the entire island of Ireland. Our efforts to connect our members to Ireland as a whole are most evident in recent partnerships we have developed with government entities such as the Northern Ireland Bureau and Tourism Ireland.
In the years since our formal launch countless artists, companies, academic institutions, non profits and others have worked through the Network’s 19 chapters to develop strong bases of support here in the US.
New York City raised, but very much trained in her art through summers at her Grandmother’s side in Donegal, Tara O’Grady, a singer whose unique sound and stage mastery inspired an impromptu duet with none other than A-list actor Bruce Willis; Dublin filmaker Alex Fegan, Director of “Irish Pub”; Antrim based Randox, a global leader in healthcare diagnostics; and Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, produced at the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland are just a few examples of those that have successfully utilized the Irish Network to further their ambitions while helping tie chapters and members back to Ireland in an intimate way.
And once again in 2014, Irish Network USA, through our chapters in New York City and New Jersey, are proud to be partners in the New York-New Belfast Conference. One of the premier events on the Irish American calendar this conference provides participants from both sides of the Atlantic with unique opportunities to rub shoulders with acclaimed artists, key policymakers, and corporate leaders whose efforts to build bridges between New York and Belfast have paid great dividends in continuing to build unbreakable bonds between two world class cities.
In short, all of these efforts described above, relate to an uptick in efforts among the Irish to use effective networking as a means to build meaningful relationships that lead to increased business opportunities and a greater understanding of how we can all work together to help each other advance our interests. Whether we choose to subscribe to ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, ‘in unity there is strength’ or any other philosophy, it seems clear that out of this economic downturn the Irish have learned, perhaps more than anything else, that our successes and failures are intrinsically tied together, and that by harnessing the strength of our individual networks for a greater cause much can be achieved.
Our good friend Mairtin O’Muilleoir is perhaps the best example of how the art of networking can be used to tear down walls that have kept us from reaching the heights we aspire to, and even with a year of wearing the prestigious Mayoral Chain for the City of Belfast, has shown us how working together, for each other, can make the difference between simply moving ahead and rocketing to levels previously thought unattainable.
For Irish Network USA this networking happens in a variety of forums- film screenings, happy hours, fundraising galas, etc. The common thread though, and the real key to networking success, is our commitment to making sure our members are meeting face to face. Emails, tweets, and the occasional phone call are all modern conveniences that keep us connected when the miles separate us, and we of course take advantage of our robust social media and web presence to keep members connected, but it is evident that there is no substitute for making direct connections.
As the gavel comes down to open the third annual New York-New Belfast Conference we once again are proud to welcome our friends from near and far, and recommit ourselves to not only using this time to build our own set of contacts and advance our interests, but also to help those that sit on our right and our left during the proceedings build theirs, with the knowledge that together we can achieve anything.
By Steve Lenox • Co-President • Irish Network USA • May 2014
This piece also appeared in the New York-New Belfast Supplement of the Irish Echo.
