More than 500 of our friends and supporters were honored to welcome Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD as our keynote speaker on March 13, at the 29th annual Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast Celebration at the InterContinental Boston.

Ahead of his annual trip to The White House, An Taoiseach spoke warmly of the work of the Partnership, and the generosity of our supporters.

Thank you to all of you for joining us to celebrate the really important work of the Irish American Partnership… Through your work you advance the cause of peace and reconciliation of the island of Ireland, North and South. And I want to thank you all really sincerely, on behalf of the Irish people and the Irish Government for your unwavering commitment.

He went on to discuss the direct and effective links between the Partnership and our counterparts in education and Government in Ireland.

“With the help of seed funding provided by the Irish Government back in 1986, the Partnership has grown into a highly effective and respected collaboration between educators, business people, politicians, and philanthropists, all working together to advance economic and community development in Ireland. In practical terms, it has meant transformative funding for 650 schools and colleges, and community organizations North and South. Seventy thousand Irish students, young people, and community leaders have had their lives changed forever thanks to the work of the Partnership. Through your efforts you’ve empowered Irish students, schools and organizations, endowing them with precious resources, particularly at times when resources were few. Your contributions have not just made a difference, they have transformed lives, fostering an environment where education and community can flourish side by side.”

We were honored to hear from Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts Kim Driscoll, who spoke about the all-female team leading the State, and warmly welcomed our supporters on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“The connection between Massachusetts and Ireland remains one of our most treasured partnerships… we are proud to work with the Irish American Partnership to connect our Irish-American neighbors to their heritage, and to strengthen the critical international relationships we share.” 

Guest speaker Professor Pat Dolan, Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at The University of Galway, spoke about the innovative Activating Social Empathy program, a social and emotional learning curriculum for Irish secondary school students which has been supported by the Irish American Partnership.

“As Patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at the Irish American Partnership for furthering our youth-led empathy education program in secondary schools,” said Patron and Oscar™ Winning Actor Cillian Murphy, in a video message to assembled supporters.

We enjoyed performances by Irish Tenor Patrick Hyland, who gave us a beautiful rendition of ‘Danny Boy’ in tribute to late President Emeritus of the Partnership, Joe Leary.

This annual breakfast celebration was made possible thanks to our generous sponsors, to our honorary Event Chair, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Geraldine Byrne Nason, to our wonderful Host Committee, and to Fr. Bill Joy.