Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120Connect 3 connect 2016 | Dear Fellow Donors, As you all know, The Ireland Funds have hit a very special milestone this year as we celebrate our 40th anniversary as an organization. It has been a special honor for me to serve as your Chairman during this very special year, and I have enjoyed being able to celebrate this milestone with so many of you in your home regions and at your chapter events. In June, I do believe that we reached the high point of ourcelebrationswithourAnnualWorldwideConference,whichwasveryappropriatelyheldinDublin. It was our biggest gathering yet, with almost 200 key donors and Young Leaders coming together from 12 different countries. The top highlight of four days that were just full of highlights had to be our Gala Dinner. Held at Trinity College, this memorable event was attended by Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, and former Irish President Mary Robinson, who happened to be the honoree at our very first dinner 40 years ago. It was our privilege to welcome these esteemed guests, who in turn paid heartfelt tribute to the good work done by The Ireland Funds over the past 40 years. The night was capped off with a rousing musical performance by virtuosos Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, accompanied by budding Irish musicians and performers from Music Generation. The most important part of the Conference, however, was probably our opportunity to interact with over 40 projects supported by the Funds. This segment was where our donors in attendance were brought directly in touch with the projects we support, so that they could see firsthand the impact of the work being done by these projects on the ground level. These projects are changing people’s lives for the better and addressing truly critical needs, often where those needs are the most desperate. Seeing this firsthand was a very powerful experience for all involved, and many of our participants later told me how it left them feeling a renewed sense of commitment to do even more. While it has been important to celebrate our accomplishments of the past 40 years, it is even more important to plan for the next 40 years, as we are now one of the largest private sources of philanthropic support across Ireland. The mission that our founders, Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney, set out for us 40 years ago is as important today as it ever was, and we must maintain our efforts on behalf of great causes across all of Ireland. Thank you for your great generosity and amazing support. With much appreciation, John Fitzpatrick Chairman The American Ireland Fund 2 0 1 6 FALL / WINTER