You shall (still) go to the ball
DESIGNER dresses, famous faces and glitzy glamour; these were the ingredients of charity balls in Celtic Tiger Ireland. But what has become of such fundraisers following the downturn? Do they still take place? If so, how have they changed? And if not, what has taken their place? Three charity fundraisers answer our questions.
Norma Smurfit has been the doyenne of charity fundraising in Ireland for decades. “After bringing up the children, I was lucky to have spare time and to know lots of people,” says the London-born former hairdresser who was married to Irish multi-millionaire Michael Smurfit until 1988. “I could do something to help people in need.”
