Out & About

I dedicate this week's Out and About to the late Connie Doolan.

My good friend Connie was a legend here in New York for all that he achieved in his family life, in business, his untiring charitable work and Connie was also a legend back in his home town of Cork City.

The name of Connie Doolan is now known the length and breadth of America for his integrity and his expertise in promoting Ireland's treasure - Guinness Stout.

I was involved with Connie in one of the most ambitious promotions for Guinness here in the USA, the now famous essay writing competition to win a pub called 'Connie Doolan's'.

Entrants had to write a piece on why they should own a pub in Ireland. The competition was a great success and Guinness repeated it several times since.

At his funeral last Monday on Long Island, friends of Connie from near and far came to honor and pay tribute to this great man. The stories of Connie were of course tinged with great sadness but the talk was centered on many wonderful times spent in his company and good things he had achieved during his life.

Too many of Connie's friends were in attendance to name them all but we did run into: Gerry Toner, Ed Kenney, Connie O'Reilly, Joe Ruane, John O'Brien, and Sean Fleming who sang Cork's anthem - "The Banks".

Pat Troy was down from Washington; John Dunleavy Chairman of the St.Patrick's Day Parade, Roy Bernard; the many Guinness sales people and Heineken Brand people.

Mike Dunphy from the Wantagh Inn where Connie and his wife Anne would frequent for dinner.

John Brown, Donnie Carroll, Mae O'Driscoll; Pat Hurley, Past President of the County Cork Association; Sean O'Driscoll; Joe Murphy and his wife Judy, (good to see Joe back in good form),; Dennis Ford, Barry Lynch, Paul Hurley from the URTO; Brian Stack of CIE Tours International.

Ireland's Consul General in New York, Niall Burgess; Donal Dennehy, Tom McCarthy, Maeve O'Malley; Aine Sheridan; Adrian Flannelly...

The list could go on and on so please forgive me if I did not mention your name as it was one of the biggest turnouts that I have ever seen.

And so we laid Connie to rest, Long Island, New York and the entire United States is a poorer place without him.

Somewhere, I am sure, the good Lord has a pub and it will be all the better when Connie Doolan opens the door, his frame filling the entrance and strolls in to meet the assembled clientele.