Coughlan realises NY dream in fundraiser

During his athletics career, he was known as the Chairman of the Boards. But Eamonn Coghlan was only too delighted to be surrounded by a fleet of real board chairmen in New York last night.

With his fellow organisers, the Fine Gael senator brought together a clutch of heavy-hitting Irish-American businessmen and women for a fundraiser for Crumlin Hospital.

The venue was the New York Athletics Club, the prestigious sporting organisation under whose banner Coghlan ran during many of his greatest triumphs.

The guest of honour was Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who was beginning his three-day trip to the US.

Coghlan is North American director of fundraising for the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation. The foundation is the principal fundraising body for Crumlin and the National Children’s Research Centre, which is attached to the hospital and which investigates the cause, treatment and prevention of childhood illnesses.

Last night’s fundraiser gave Mr Coghlan the chance to achieve several things at once — raise valuable funds, realise his ambition of organising a major event to “show off” Ireland, and do so at his beloved athletic club.

A club member for 35 years he said when it came to organising the fundraiser, there was only place he had in mind — the club’s stunning city house on Central Park South.

“I had this idea for the last 20 years that I would like to show off the best of Ireland, and that I would like to use the New York Athletic Club’s magnificent facility because of its Irish roots. The New York Athletic Club was founded by the Irish,” he said.

The Irish theme was evident in the number of tables — 32 — which was, he added, “my magic number!”. Each table of 10 went for $10,000, raising a considerable sum for the foundation, which relies 100% on voluntary funding.

The guests were treated to a showcase of the best of Irish, ranging from an address by champion golfer Graeme McDowell to entertainment produced by Riverdance founders John Colgan and Moya Doherty.

Guests heard a recorded message from former US president Bill Clinton, and when the Taoiseach spoke, he said the room had been assembled for the “most important thing in the world — children”.

“The Children’s Medical and Research Foundation is a magnificent charity working for a magnificent cause, in support of Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin,” Mr Kenny said. “Anyone who has been there says, at Crumlin, you don’t just get care, you get love. And I am honoured to be here tonight in support of that really wonderful work.”

But Mr Kenny also took the opportunity to touch upon the other reason for his trip – to encourage US companies to invest in Ireland. The Taoiseach’s visit is a follow-up from last week’s Irish investment conference organised by Mr Clinton in New York.

“Last week at our investment conference, he (Mr Clinton) told Corporate America they’d be nuts not to invest in Ireland,” Mr Kenny said.

“I quite agree. Now is the time to invest in Ireland and almost one year into our term, my Government is working night and day to create an ever more attractive environment for business, to help create jobs, to attract investment, to rebuild confidence in Ireland both at home and abroad, and to welcome tourists to our shores.”

Mr Kenny is focusing chiefly on Boston this time around, and travels on to the city today, where he will meet with a series of business and political leaders over the next 36 hours.

Mr Coghlan, meanwhile, is hoping last night’s successful dinner can become an annual event.

He earned the moniker “chairman of the boards” because of the way he handled the wooden track at Madison Square Garden, scene of his numerous victories. Last night, he demonstrated he handles the corporate world as well as he did the athletics one.