Meet our Dancers
We've admired their footwork at the St Pat's Ball and at the Rose Ball. Now meet this group of lively youngsters, and pay tribute to their dedication, teamwork, and skill! See the pics!
We had a Ball! Congratulations Orla!
The Abu Dhabi Irish Society Rose Ball was held on April 24th at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi. Seven gorgeous, talented girls charmed the capacity audience, and the winner, Orla Keane, now goes forward to Dubai and hopefully Tralee.
Support Orla!
Orla Keane will now be representing Abu Dhabi at the Dubai Rose selection night on May 23 in the Westin Mina Seyahi in Dubai. Please view the attached flyer (91kb jpg) for details.
We need to know how many people are going on the night to support Orla. We can get tickets at members prices i.e. 340 Dhs. This includes a full sit down 4 course dinner and a free bar. Can those that are interested please let Sean Casey know a.s.a.p. at 050-8196683. The Irish Society will provide a bus for the big event.
Show the love!
Roses paint the town red... roll on April 24!
Seen recently in the modest home of Abu Dhabi Irish Society President and First Lady Tadhg and Edith Flahive were no fewer than five Roses:
The Roses were in town to promote the forthcoming Rose of
Tralee selection event on April 24 in Abu Dhabi and later in
Dubai. Click for more about this event!
Pictured from left to right: Edith Flahive; Norette Kearney -
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Rose; Kate O Fathartaigh – Darwin Rose;
Aileen McCarthy – Dubai Rose; Lisa Murtagh – New York Rose and
overall winner of the 2007 International Rose of Tralee; Laura
Costelloe – Kerry Rose; Tadhg Flahive.
BBQ and Beach Party, April 10
Thursday April 10th saw the inaugural Abu Dhabi Na Fianna/Irish Society beach party take place at The Club and what a night it was. A crowd of 200 people showed up on the night – a number that far exceeded our initial expectations – and a big thank you must go out to all who supported this event.
The Club put on a fantastic spread of food (it’s funny how, when free food is available, the vulture comes out in all of us!!!) and entertainment was provided by our own resident DJ ‘Michael Buaichaill Feic’ (aka Canada Mike). Mike did a fantastic job, so much so that rumour has it that Paul Van Dyke is looking for him to do a set at his next Dubai show!!!
We were also blessed with a rare guest appearance in the form of former WWE wrestling great Bam Bam Bigaloe (aka Trev Buckley), although Trev’s - sorry I mean Bam Bam’s - fashion sense left a lot to be desired!!!
Everybody who turned up had a great night so hopefully this night can become a regular fixture in our social calendar for many years to come. A big thank you must go out to both Bríd Tierney and Ben Kehoe for the fantastic work they did in organizing this event – without their efforts this night would not have been possible. And finally, a big thank you to The Club for hosting our event and having set up everything perfectly, contributing immensely to what was a memorable night!
Click for more pictures from this event!
Declan Madden
Rose Ball, April 24th
This year's Abu Dhabi Irish Society/Na Fianna Rose Ball Selection Night will be held on April 24th at the Crowne Plaza. Talented, charming, witty - that's just the host - and a bevy of beautiful contestants will vie for the right to represent Abu Dhabi at the Rose Selection in Dubai, and perhaps in Tralee in August.
Entertainment will be provided by the Aer Lingus Musical Society, flown out from Ireland, and the night promises a feast of music, dancing and fun. Click here for a review of a recent show by the Aer Lingus Musical Society in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and click here for more about the group.
Our sponsors - Kentech, Currie & Brown, Kentz, Spinneys, G4S and Crowne Plaza - have supported us generously again, and there will be fabulous raffle prizes.
Dinner is just 200 Dhs including beverages. Tickets are available at a Box Office in the Crowne Plaza on Monday April 14th from 7-9pm. Smart Casual. Don't miss it! Click the picture above for a larger pic, or click here for a PDF poster (400 kb).
Abu Dhabi Irish Society welcomes the Aer Lingus Musical Society!
Click for more about the Aer Lingus Musical Society, our entertainment at the Rose Ball on April 24th.
St Patrick's Day Ball
The highlight of the Irish social calendar in Abu Dhabi, this year's St Patrick's Day Ball was held on March 13, 2008. A glittering night of music, wine, traditional dancing, toasts, slightly less traditional dancing, and entertainment!
Download a poster for your office here in PDF (500kb) or here in JPG (300kb).
Sad News: Sean Lee
Many people in Abu Dhabi were saddened to learn of the recent
sudden death of Sean Lee, husband of Fiona and father of Anna
and Adam. Sean, originally from Whitegate, Co Cork, was an
active member of the Irish community. A skilful hurler, both in
goal and outfield, he was one of the original members of the
first Abu Dhabi GAA club team in 1995-1996, and remained active
in the club over many years. Sean was also a keen golfer, taking
part in recent Abu Dhabi Irish Society/Na Fianna outings. His
great sense of humour and very pleasant manner endeared him to
his many friends of all nationalities. He will be deeply missed.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Mary Coughlan Visit
The Abu Dhabi Irish Society were represented at a lunch on March 12 to celebrate a brief visit by Ireland's Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture, and Food, Mary Coughlan. Among those present were Ambassador Tom Russell from Riyadh, members of the Society, locally-based Irish business people, and community members.
Salary Survey: Irish Moving On?
Salary Survey at
ArabianBusiness.com: How are the
Irish doing? Click to see the results of a recent salary
survey of different nationalities in jobs around the Gulf.
March 14: Brunch at Heroes!
For those who want to make sure the shamrock is well and truly drowned, Heroes are hosting a brunch from midday on Friday March 14 to 8 pm.
Just 100 dirhams gets you fed - the watering is up to you! Misty, the band flown out specially for the ball, will be playing, and Emerald Elvis will be keeping the punters entertained for the afternoon. All welcome.
Whiskey Tasting Evening
We enjoyed a presentation from Jamesons in the Crowne Plaza on February 21. Have a look at some glassy-eyed pics here.
Visit our Sponsors!
Please support our generous sponsors for the St Pat's Ball, 2008!
Upcoming Events - Golf, Beach Party, The Rose
A list of upcoming events including a Golf Outing (March 21), a Beach Party (April 10), and the hugely enjoyable Rose Ball (April 24) can be seen on our calendar. Click on individual events for contact details.
Allied Irish Offer
Allied Irish Offshore have put together a special package for members of Abu Dhabi Irish Society. Click for more!
Farewell, Declan and Lorraine
Two stalwarts of the Irish community in Abu Dhabi headed for pastures green at the end of January. Declan Brady and Lorraine Monaghan were active in sports and social events and were active members of many committees and clubs in their many years here. The Abu Dhabi Irish Society and Abu Dhabi Na Fianna wish them well in their new life in Ireland and on their planned world trip. Go n-éirí an bóthar libh!
We thanked
Declan and Lorraine for their wonderful contribution to life in Abu
Dhabi at a function in the Crowne Plaza in January.
See the pics here!
(Thanks to Orla for the pics!)
Futaisi Island Trip, Feb 8th-9th
The society is endeavoring this year to spread the range of activities and functions to as wide a range of members as possible. To this end a "family weekend" took place in in Futaisi Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi on the night of Friday 8th February.
Welcome, Pádraig, Paul, et al!
Pádraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane Peter Lawrie and Gary Murphy were among a field of golfing celebrities at the recent Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in atrocious weather (for Abu Dhabi anyway) from Jan 18 to 21. Paul McGinley finished in 9th position, Padraig in 11th and Peter Lawrie in 17th while the event was won by 23-year old German Martin Kaymer.
Read more about Pádraig Harrington's extraordinary career on Wikipedia or visit his official site www.padraigharrington.com. You can read about Paul's career at his website.
You can also follow the tournament here, on the official European Tour championship page. Yes, for one week of the year, Abu Dhabi is in Europe!
Happy New Year!
The Abu Dhabi Irish society wish all members, families and friends a happy and peaceful 2008. Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir!
For some New Year's readings with an Irish flavour, try these:
- New Years to Epiphany, from Irish Culture and Customs.com
- Watch the Winter Solstice from Newgrange televised live for the first time ever.
- Next year, how about New Year's Eve on Achill Island, for the last sundown in Europe?
Children's Christmas Party
Our annual Christmas Party for members' children was held at the Crowne Plaza on December 14. The man himself was there, of course, to give to the good children! Have a look at the pics.
Traditional Irish Music Night, Thursday Dec 13
Bobby Gardiner, renowned box player appeared with along with local talent Inis Iar at a night of superb traditional music at the Club on Thursday Dec 13. Newcomer Marianne Campbell on fiddle, and a brother of regular guitarist Mikc Giblin, also on guitar, helped round out an ever-improving sound. Don't miss their next gig!
Killorglin Players & The Year of the Hiker
A night of drama at The Club on November 1st as the Killorglin Players, direct from Kerry, gripped a packed house with their production of John B. Keane's play "The Year of the Hiker." Acted with conviction, talent, and humour, the play told the story of a man's return to his wife, children and embittered sister-in-law after 20 years on the road.
A marvellous evening, with prizes donated by the visiting actors and sponsors UTS Kentz and The Club, followed by music from local group Inis Oirr, introducing their new fiddler Marianne Campbell.
Click here for pictures from the night, or read details about the play here... You can also read an article from the Kerryman here, written by actor Aidan O'Connor, and enjoy one of Edith's inimitable odes to the players, singing their praises in true Bardic tradition.
Update:
Highly recommended is this Christmas charity CD produced by local Killorglin talent. Some of the Killorglin CYMS Players group feature on the CD, which also includes contributions from schools and individuals from the area, with all proceeds going to the Irish Pilgrimage Trust. Have a look at the CD website.
Halloween Party
We had a Halloween Party for members' children on October 31. Fun for all! Click to see the pics!
Irish Dancing
Irish dancing classes for children (and perhaps adults, depending on demand) have started.
Rehearsals are on Sundays from October 21st, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi. We are fortunate to have Gerard Bradley, formerly of Riverdance, with us, so expect some tough but thrilling practices and performances!
For more details, call Siobhan Farrell 02 632 5626 after 5pm, or email sfarrell@britishschool.sch.ae.
Welcome Back!
We've had four successful events already - a Welcome Back party on September 6th, and a Quiz Night on September 21 (the night of the France vs Ireland rugby game). Click to see the pics.
Our next event was the Bowling Night on October 1st. Pcis coming soon. This was followed by a Golf Outing on Friday Oct 5.
Welcome Back Party - September 2007
The Abu Dhabi Irish Society and the Abu Dhabi Na Fianna had a Welcome Back Party on Thursday September 6th at the Crowne Plaza for members, new members, non-members and friends. It was a great start to the year!
Tadhg Flahive and Ben Kehoe from the Abu Dhabi Na Fianna promised us a year of activity as the two organizations moved towards closer integration.
Mercifully, the speeches were short, and the main business of the night got going - see the results here! Click for pics!
EGM, October 7
We are pleased to announce that our Extraordinary General Meeting on October 7 went very well. A good crowd (for mid-week and for the somewhat bureaucratic exercise of an EGM) voted on a proposal to merge the activities of the Irish Society and the Abu Dhabi Na Fianna. The result was clear - a mandate to join the two! Click here for details of the changes and the new constitution.
Tadhg Flahive,
the
newly-elected president of the Abu Dhabi Irish Society, hopes that this EGM will
build on the relationships between the Abu Dhabi Irish Society and the
very active Abu Dhabi Na Fianna Gaelic Athletic Games
over the years.
For more, click here.
If you have ideas on how we can build a stronger Irish community here, let us know!
Abu Dhabi Na Fianna: Want to Get Involved?
This Abu Dhabi Irish Society website is the inseparable twin of the Abu Dhabi Na Fianna, the sporting side of our organization, dedicated to Gaelic Athletic Games and the honing of the incredible physique and mental agility of the Irish and their friends. All welcome to play, support, watch and celebrate afterwards - games for women's teams, men's teams, and children.
To know more, get involved, contact us here or here
.
There's More! Much More!
Something on an older page? Visit January 2008, April 06, May 06
ed the'The Year of the Hiker' recently, and enjoy one of
