Best of Ireland Gala Dinner

On March 8th , the Children’s Medical Research Foundation (“CMRF”) hosted
its Tenth Best of Ireland Gala Dinner at the New York Athletic Club.

Each year, The Best of Ireland Gala, which is co-hosted with The Ireland Funds, pays tribute to outstanding individuals who have made a positive and significant contribution in the field of sport, business, philanthropy and the arts.  After a two year hiatus (due to COVID), CMRF was delighted to welcome back our friends and supporters for a celebratory evening honoring: Domhnall Slattery, Chairman, Vertical Aerospace, Brian O’Driscoll, Irish Former Professional Rugby Union Player; Amy Huberman, Irish Actress and Writer and Eamonn Coghlan, former Senator and World Athletics Champion and one of the Founders of CMRF.

Paul McNally, Director of Research and Innovation, Children’s Health Ireland travelled from Ireland to give a brief overview of his main research interest which is early Cystic Fibrosis lung disease, in particular around the question of why some children have more severe lung disease and how we can detect it in these children earlier and modify their treatment.

During the evening CMRF also shared the poignant stories of Alice who was diagnosed with Hypermobility Syndrome which causes severe pain and mobility issues and Ruby who was diagnosed with Pineoblastoma Tumor which is a form of cancer found in young children. These two stories show how your support is impacting the lives of children and their families.

David Evans, Chairman, CMRF Inc. and Paul Keary, CEO and Co.-Founder, Teneo and a key sponsor of the Best of Ireland Gala, introduced the four honorees who then participated in the traditional Q&A which was moderated by Pat Tully, who also served as the evening’s emcee and auctioneer.

The evening raised over $430,000. The proceeds from the gala will continue to support CMRF’s program dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and their families affected by childhood disease, fund innovative clinical research, provide incredible clinical health care, and pioneer projects and initiatives that will disrupt the status quo in medical research & care for children.

Photos from the event

Thank you to all our Sponsors!