Night of The Stars Awards Honorees

On Friday, September 29 at the Waldorf=Astoria hotel, Irish Connections magazine (sister publication of Irish Examiner USA) is co-hosting the second annual "Night of the Stars" gala to benefit COPE Foundation, a Cork-based organization that cares for 1,600 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Organized by publisher Paddy McCarthy, the gala honors some of Irish America's brightest stars, including acting legend Milo O'Shea; American Ireland Fund Chair Loretta Brennan Glucksman; Patricia O'Reilly, producer and host of the Out of Ireland TV show; Connie Doolan, the longtime Guinness executive, Michael Gibbons, executive vice president of Estèe Lauder, and the Munster Rugby Team (Heineken European Club Champions 2006). Popular TV anchor Jim Ryan will be the emcee with entertainment by Eileen Ivers, The Irish Sopranos, and Gregory Harrington, among others.

"I am proud that this event will recognize the tremendous contributions of the honorees while supporting COPE's systems of early intervention, schooling, training, employment, and housing at 60 locations throughout Cork," Paddy McCarthy said.

"The organization does incredible work that is equaled only by the talent and success of those we will celebrate on September 29 at the Waldorf."

Connie Doolan

Connie Doolan emigrated to the United States in 1955 and became wholeheartedly involved in community activities throughout the New York area. His sincere devotion to the Irish cause has been recognized by organizations including the Grand Council of Emerald Societies and the NYPD. His firm Diageo Guinness USA honored him in real terms in 1991 when they appointed Connie as Director of Trade Relations for North America.

Connie is a founding member of the Emerald Society of the Licensed Beverage Industry and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Knights of St. Patrick and the AOH. In his younger days he played hurling with the cork and New York select teams and was a member of the 1958 St. Brendan's Cup team.

Connie has been included in Irish America Magazine's top 100. In 1992 he was appointed Grand Marshal of the New York's St. Patrick's Day Parade. Fittingly in 1994 his outstanding charitable work was recognized when he was awarded the coveted Caritas Medal by Molloy University.

Connie resides in Long Island with his wife Anne and his two sons Kevin and John.

Loretta Brennan Glucksman

A third generation Irish-American, Loretta Brennan Glucksman grew up in an Irish community in Pennsylvania. She is a noted philanthropist and together with her late husband Lewis they have raised millions for Ireland. She has served as Chairman of The American Ireland Fund since 1995 and spearheaded their successful "Hope and History" $100 million campaign.

She is Co-Chair of Glucksman Ireland House, the center for Irish Studies at New York University, which she and Lewis established in 1993. Mr. & Mrs. Glucksman also established the Glucksman Chair of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. Recently, University College Cork saw the official opening of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, a wonderful new space for visual art in Ireland.

She was appointed by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to the Board of the Industrial Development Agency. She also serves on numerous other boards including the Abbey Theatre, the National Concert Hall, the National Gallery of Ireland, Trinity College, University College Cork and the Royal College of Surgeons.

Early in her career, Mrs. Glucksman was a producer for news and public affairs with PBS-TV and served as director of media relations for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Mike Gibbons

Mike Gibbons was raised in The Bronx, a son of immigrants. Mike graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY and served in the U.S. Navy.

Mike joined Estee Lauder Inc. in 1967 and, over the years, has been a Marketing Director for Estee Lauder, Vice President of Clinique and General Manager of Aramis. He is currently Executive Vice President of the Estee Lauder Companies.

For many years, Mike volunteered as President and Chairman of The International Center in New York, a private, not-for-profit center located at 50 W. 23rd Street in New York City. The International Center welcomes new immigrants and refugees and assists them in learning English and adapting to our American culture and ways.

They help people from over 90 countries through the efforts of 500 volunteers and a small paid staff. Hundreds of foreign newcomers seek assistance at The Center each week.

Mike is President of the Ireland-United States Council for Commerce and Industry and serves on the Prime Minister of Ireland's Economic Advisory Board. Mike is one of the founders and the former co-chairman of The Knights of St. Patrick .

Cynthia and Mike reside in NYC and Palm Beach, FL. They have four children.

Milo O'Shea

Dublin-born Milo O'Shea is one of the great character actors of our time. Instantly recognizable for his bushy eyebrows, impish smile, and lilting voice, he has been acting since the age of 9, first on radio when he played parts including Ptolemy in Caesar and Cleopatra and Oliver in Oliver Twist. As a teenager, Milo joined Dublin's Gate Theatre Company, which included such members as Orson Wells, Carroll O'Connor and James Mason.

Milo made his Broadway debut opposite Eli Wallach in Staircase for which he received his first Tony Award nomination in the play that featured what many people consider Broadway's first realistic depiction of homosexual men. He received a second Tony nomination for his performance as a priest with a drinking problem in Mass Appeal, which earned him a Drama League Award and the Outer Critic's Circle Award.

His London debut was opposite Dame Sybil Thorndike in Treasure Hunt, directed by Sir John Gielgud. Subsequent West End productions include Moliere's School for Wives, Synge's The Heart's a Wonder, and Corpse, which transferred to the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway.

His co-stars have included legendary actors such as Angela Lansbury, Ruth Gordon, and Lynn Redgrave. He has also appeared in Comedians, directed by Mike Nichols; A Touch of the Poet with Jason Robards and Geraldine Fitzgerald; Meet Me in St. Louis with George Hearn and Betty Garrett; Educating Rita with Kitty Sullivan; Philadelphia, Here I Come with Robert Sean Leonard, and My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison.

Milo's well-known film portrayals include Leopold Bloom in Ulysses (1967), Friar Laurence in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968), and the evil Durand Durand (from which the famous 80's pop group took its name) in one of Jane Fonda's most memorable films, Barbarella (1968).

One of his most famous screen roles was the not-so-honorable Judge Hoyle opposite Paul Newman's Frank Galvin, a lawyer seeking redemption in The Verdict (1982), considered one of Hollywood's greatest court dramas. Milo's later films include Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), The Dream Team (1989), Opportunity Knocks (1990), Only the Lonely (1991) with John Candy and fellow Irish acting legend Maureen O'Hara, The Playboys starring Aidan Quinn (1992), The Matchmaker (1997) as the man who brings people together, and Neil Jordan's The Butcher Boy (1997). While he says he does not have a favorite role, Milo is proud that many people view him as the quintessential Leopold Bloom in the film version of Ulysses.

"I feel truly humbled to have been given the opportunity to breathe life into the great Mr. Joyce's extraordinary character," the veteran actor said. "So long as there is one person left in the world to read Ulysses I feel that Leopold Bloom has given me a very special gift of a kind of immortality.

Milo had a recent notable guest spot in which he portrayed a Supreme Court Justice coming to grips with Alzheimer's Disease opposite Martin Sheen in NBC's The West Wing. His numerous guest appearances include hit shows such as Frasier, Cheers, The Golden Girls, Who's the Boss, The Commish, St. Elsewhere, and the HBO series OZ. His early TV successes include Me Mammy, a successful BBC television series, and PBS's QB VII.

Recently, Milo starred as Finian in a revival of Finian's Rainbow at the newly restored Westport Country Playhouse (artistic director, Joanne Woodward). His most recent stage appearance in Ireland was in Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys with David Kelly. He has also starred with David Kelly in Rough in Theatre 1, part of a special project that has filmed all the plays of Samuel Beckett for international distribution. Milo is very excited about his next scheduled upcoming project: receiving an Honorary Doctorate from University College Dublin.

The actor is married to the actress/musician Kitty Sullivan, and has appeared with her in a number of productions, including The Rex Harrison revival of My Fair Lady, Educating Rita, and the musical I Do, I Do at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Both hold Irish and American citizenships.

Milo believes that becoming an American citizen was a real extension of his Irishness, and he feels fortunate to have two homes instead of one. He also is appreciative of the recognition he will receive at the second annual Night of the Stars gala.

"To be honored in Night of the Stars is a very special validation of my work, especially to be among other such esteemed honorees," said Milo, who is known to old fans for his classic film work and to younger generations more familiar with his guest roles on The West Wing and Frasier, which is still quite popular in reruns. "It is wonderful to realize that so many different age groups feel that I have something of importance to say to them."

Munster Rugby Club

Way before Munster won the European Heineken Cup in May 2006, way before rugby was professionalized in Europe, Munster and Munster rugby was already a legend. Playing in the hallowed grounds of Limerick's Thomond Park and Cork's Musgrave Park, Munster has established itself as one of Europe's premier clubs. The loyalty of Munster's supporters is equally legendary. Known as the Red Army, because of the team's colors, Munster will routinely draw attendances of up to 30,000 of its own supporters at away games. At the Heineken Cup final in the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff earlier this year, it was estimated that of the capacity crowd of 72,000, somewhere in the region of 50,000 were Munster supporters. "A sea of red" is an almost constant remark by commentators at Munster games. When I arrived in Birmingham airport on the day before the Cup final I was stunned at the numbers of Munster supporters who were arriving there from all over the world. One story was of a woman who traveled round trip from New Zealand that weekend to be at the game. Again, driving from Birmingham to Cardiff down the M50, I thought I might as well have been in Limerick with all the cars and buses that were flying Munster flags. Incredible.

Munster is the only Irish rugby team to have defeated the powerful All Blacks, the national rugby team of New Zealand, and as far as I know the only team ever to have held the All Blacks scoreless. The game, played in Limerick in October 1978 ended in a Munster win 12-0, has become part of rugby history and has attained mythic status in Irish rugby circles. Other games are quickly passing into the legend category: the so-called miracle game against England's Gloucester, (a top-rated team that season) in Thomond Park in 2002, when Munster not only needed to win but needed to win by at least 27 points to qualify for the play-offs. Munster did it! The Munster versus Sale game in Thomond Park earlier this year when Munster needed to win and score four tries to go forward in the play-offs with home field advantage. Munster did it again and against a very strong team that boasted many of England's nation team.

It is with this sense of history and aura of legend that we welcome the Munster delegation to New York on Sept 29th to be honored at the Irish Connections Night of Stars art the Waldorf Astoria and to announce the launch of Munster Rugby Supporters USA . Peter Clohessy, Jerry Flannery and Barry Murphy will lead the Munster delegation. 

Welcome receptions will be held at McCormack's Bar 365 3rd Avenue on Saturday Sept 30th at 6.30 pm and at Tir na nOG 5 Penn Plaza, 33rd street and 8th Avenue at 5.30pm and all are welcome.

Patricia O'Reilly

Dublin-born journalist Patricia O'Reilly is the producer and host of Out of Ireland, the weekly half hour television show created for the Irish-American and Irish-born populations in the U.S. The show bills itself as the No. 1 news, culture and entertainment magazine program presenting the best of modern Ireland.

Each week, O'Reilly features news from RTÉ, along with interviews of Irish and Irish-American celebrities and politicians, and Irish music and entertainment. Out of Ireland is a fixture on Long Island's WLIW-TV Channel 21 and on PBS network stations nationwide, as well as on cable systems across the country.

"We try to produce a fast paced entertainment program that mixes current news with historical perspectives and showcases Irish contributions in the arts, politics and business," said O'Reilly, who has hosted the program since 1994.

"I started in the 1980s with a small Irish program in San Francisco. When I moved to NY in the late 80s, I was surprised there was no Irish TV show at all in NY," O'Reilly recounted. "We had radio, newspapers and magazines, but no presence on TV. I thought I would change that."

Rough Beginnings

It was tough going the first couple of years persuading PBS stations to run an Irish program. O'Reilly recalled that the extent of their broadcast efforts seem to be airing documentaries about JFK at St. Patrick's Day.

"Stations had a strange perception about anything Irish. Of course, the first time doing anything is very tough. When we started to expand past New York, the AOH sent letters on our behalf to help," said the TV host and producer. "The response was along the lines of 'We have great relationship with the BBC, and we don't want to risk that.' These were the kind of difficulties we encountered."

The broadcast veteran believes the response was drove by misconceptions about Ireland, since at the time most of the publicity about the Irish focused on the troubles in Northern Ireland.

"The station executives knew nothing about Ireland's music, literature, and culture," O'Reilly said. "They thought the show was going to be all politics. A lot of things have changed since then." Putting the program together has been a labor of love for Patricia O'Reilly, who didn't finish production on last week's show until 5 a.m. on Saturday.

"What keeps it going is the viewers -- when you meet people, and they say, "I love the show. The response makes it all worthwhile," responded O'Reilly, who estimates that 60 percent or more of her viewers are American born.

Most Memorable Interviews

Over the past 14 years, O'Reilly has produced 52 shows a year. She feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet people such as Paul Newman, whom she described as "fascinating" (and "cute," too). She is proud that John B. Keane's last interview ever was with Out of Ireland.

"I spent a weekend visiting with him shortly before he died. Recently, The New York Times did an article complimentary of the Irish Rep's production of The Field, but critical of its melodramatic writing compared to modern playwrights such as Martin McDonagh," O'Reilly said.

"When I read that review, I went back to the interview I did with John B. Keane several years back. During the discussion, he actually answered their charges. The melodrama, he explained, was a classic technique dating back to the plays of the Greeks, Romans, and Shakespeare. By airing that show again, we gave Mr. Keane that chance to answer the critics of today. I'm fortunate that in this job I have the opportunity to meet and spend time with people like him."

O'Reilly has been named on Irish America magazine's Top 100 list and has been praised by influential TV reviewers such as David Bianculli of the New York Daily News and Eugene McEldowney of The Irish Times.

Into The Future

O'Reilly hopes at some stage to do more stories about Irish America across the United States.

"Irish America is not confined to the Boston-New York-Philadelphia corridor," she said. "There are vibrant communities in Chicago, San Francisco, and cities in Florida, such as Ft. Myers and Naples. I'd love to do more stories about them."

Out of Ireland airs in almost every major television market except, surprisingly, Boston. The city has two PBS stations, but still has been a tough nut to crack (a bit of a sore point for the host.) However, O'Reilly is thankful to PBS for airing her program and to Diarmuid Hogan and Dick Myers for providing the funding for it.

"It all wouldn't be possible without the support of my partners, Diarmuid Hogan and Dick Myers," she explained. "TV is costly. They keep the show going, and the support is very much appreciated."