The IrIsh AmerIcAn PArTnershIPSupporting Education in Ireland, North and South

The ThIrd AnnuAl

Nollaig na mBan Women’s Christmas

BreAkfAsT celeBrATIon

1

Left to right: Partnership President Joe Leary, Board Chairman Emeri-tus General P.X. Kelley USMC (Ret.), and Board Member Frank O’Brien.

Left to Right: Mark Holan, Angie Drobnic Holan, Mary Su-grue McAleer, and Monique Choiniere Miller

Left to right: Liz Maguire, Mary Conroy Henderson, and Linda Scholl-Maguire

Irish American Partnership Executive Director Mary Sugrue McAleer presents a $10,000 check to Dr. Avila Kilmurray for the Community Foundation of Northern Ireland’s Human Rights Fund. Left to right: Northern Ireland Bureau Director Norman Hous-ton, Breakfast Committee Chair Monique Choiniere Miller, Esq., Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Dr. Avila Kilmurray, Ambassador Anne Anderson, and Mary Sugrue McAleer.

Over 70 Irish American Partnership supporters braved the first snow of the season to hear Ambassador Melanne Verveer and Dr. Avila Kilmurray speak on the role of women in Northern Ireland and beyond during the third annual Nollaig na mBan breakfast celebration, held at the University Club of Washington, D.C. on January 6th, 2015.

Nollaig na mBan, or Women’s Christmas, is held each year in January to celebrate women’s leadership within the family and community. The Partnership commemorates this tradition with a breakfast highlighting female leaders and the impact they have worldwide.

Thanks to all those who attended

Nollaig na mBan 2015

The Community Foundation has been driving social change in local communities for 30 years through successful grant-making and fund development, encouraging peace and equality, and promoting commu-nity development to alleviate poverty among the most disadvantaged. Their new initiative, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Fund, is an effort to 1. embed a culture of rights throughout Northern Ireland, 2. build a fair and just society based on the principles of equality and respect, and 3. consolidate the peace process by delivering the commitments on human rights and civic participation made in the Belfast/ Good Friday Agreement. The Community Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies have committed a combined £4 million to the Fund already, and Atlantic has vowed to match additional contributions to the Community Foundation up to £3 million. The Partnership was proud to present a $10,000 check to kick-start this matching campaign.

The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland’s Human Rights Fund

Proceeds benefitted

2Irish American Partnership Executive Director Mary Sugrue McAleer presents a $10,000 check to Dr. Avila Kilmurray for the Community Foundation of North-ern Ireland’s Human Rights Fund.

Ambassador Melanne Verveer currently serves as the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Previously, Ambassador Verveer served as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues and was the Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO that she co-founded to invest in emerging women leaders. During the Clinton adminis-tration, Ambassador Verveer served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady. Ambassador Verveer is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development. She holds several honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Distinguished Service.

Dr. Avila Kilmurray recently joined the Global Fund for Community Foundations, where she serves as Director of Policy and Strategy for the Global Alliance for Community Philanthropy. Previously, Dr. Kilmurray was the Director of the Community Foundation for North-ern Ireland. Dr. Kilmurray has long been active in the Northern Irish Women’s Movement and was a founding member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition. She has written extensively on Commu-nity Development, Women’s Issues and Conflict Transformation.

Mee

t th

e Sp

eake

rs

In her keynote speech at Nollaig na mBan, Ambassador Verveer spoke in-depth about the necessity of communi-ty-based organizing in conflict resolution and the promotion of women’s rights. She recalled several trips taken to North-ern Ireland, including Presi-dent and First Lady Clinton’s memorable trip to Belfast in 1995. During her time in Northern Ireland, she saw first-hand how essential it was to provide a forum for women on both sides of the conflict to have the opportunity to share their pain and suffering with one another, and to realize how similar their struggles were. These conversations paved the way for political action, as women sought to have their concerns addressed in the after-math of the Good Friday Agreement. Ambassador Verveer praised Avila Kilmurray, the Community Foundation, and all of the organizations doing the difficult day-to-day work of cementing the peace. After Dr. Kilmurray’s speech on all the work that is to be done, Ambassador Verveer remind-ed the audience of the remarkable progress that has been achieved and lauded Northern Ireland as an example for conflict-ridden zones across the world.

Tweets from Nollaig 2015Liz Maguire @thelizmaguire · Jan 6“Women are agents of peace, agents of change.” @Melanne-Verveer at the @Irishaporg Women’s Breakfast.

Melanne Verveer @MelanneVerveer · Jan 7Great to see my friend @avilabelfast1 at @irishaporg break-fast. Important lessons to draw from women’s work for peace in N. Ireland.

EmbassyofIrelandUSA @IrelandEmbUSA · Jan 5Best wishes to @Irishaporg celebrating the Irish tradition of Nollaig na mBan (Women’s Christmas) tmro Jan. 6 in DC http://bit.ly/1A0al1s

Mary Kate Cunningham @MaryKateC · Jan 6Happy Nollaig na mBan, the Irish women’s Christmas celebration. Thanks to the Irish American Partnership for a great event! @JohnWMcCarthy

Mark Holan @markieam · Jan 9@Irishaporg Thank you for the event and all your good work. Have a great 2015.

Send us your thoughts @irishaporg or info@irishap.org

Keynote Address

3

With special appreciation

The Honorable Melanne VerveerExecutive Director, Institute for Women, Peace and

Security at Georgetown UniversityFormer U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues

Her Excellency Anne AndersonAmbassador of Ireland to the United States

Norman Houston Director, Northern Ireland Bureau

Avila Kilmurray Community Foundation For Northern Ireland

Linda Scholl-MaguireNewbridge Silverware

http://www.curraghllc.com/

Monique Choiniere Miller, Esq.Committee Chair

Tom Nicholson Partnership Board Member

Michael DwyerPartnership Member

Joseph DalyPartnership Member

The Irish American Partnership15 Broad Street, Boston, MA 02109 - Phone: (617) 723-2707 - Fax: (617) 723-5478

Email: info@irishap.org - Website: www.irishap.org - Twitter: @irishaporg - LinkedIn: The Irish American Partnership

Thank you to all those who attended this year’s Nollaig na mBan. We

hope you enjoyed the remarks by Dr. Avila Kimurray and Ambassador

Melanne Verveer. See you next year on Wednesday, January 6th for the fourth

annual Nollaig na mBan Breakfast Celebration!

4