Garrett Doyle

An Interview With The Irish Examiner's 2009 Man Of The Year

By Catherine Wylie

The Irish Examiner Newspaper is pleased to announce that we are honoring Garrett Doyle as our Man of the Year for 2009.

The event, which is to be held at the Irish Consulate on Park Avenue on Thursday July 23, will be an evening to congratulate Garrett on all his hard work.

President of the Emerald Guild Society for the past two years, Garrett has worked tirelessly for numerous charities over the years.

Here at The Irish Examiner, we want to honor that work and ensure that Garrett does not become one of the too many unsung heroes for the charity work he carries out quietly here in New York City.

Hailing from Rathgorragh Kill, Co. Kildare, Garrett arrived in Manhattan in 1995 and began work in PJ Moran's bar and restaurant on 48th and 5th, before moving downtown to O'Hara's where he stayed until 2001.

He continued with his long interest in sport and fundraising when he completed the New York City to Boston cycling event to support HIV/AIDS Research, as well as many bike rides for multiple sclerosis.

Garrett told us of how he was enthusiastic about all sports from a very young age. He ran track and field, played Gaelic football, and perhaps one of his fondest memories were the years he spent playing for the Naas rugby club.

In fact, he even spent a season with St. Mary's football club in Dublin and in 1982 he completed the Dublin City marathon for cystic fibrosis. So, his charity work spans both sides of the Atlantic.

Asked about why he came to America in the first place, Garrett was keen to tell us first about his time in London when his career really took off. "I was in London prior to America, things were quiet as there was a recession in the early 90s. So I came to America on holiday, and I stayed. Thanks to the people in PJ Moran's, who opened their door to me and started me as a bartender, I remained in the city. But my time in London was memorable too."

It was whilst Garrett was in London that he first got involved in the bar trade, and in 1988 he opened his first pub called The Earl Darby in North Kensington.

Soon, Garrett's father Tommy got in on the act, and the pair of them opened a second pub called The Greyhound in Shepherdsbush, which then prompted his eldest brother John to come into the trade.

This led to the opening of two additional establishments and many successful years in the business. As well as that, he continued with his sporting career, playing Gaelic football for Round Towers and rugby with Eastham RFC before moving to London Irish RFC.

Garrett's involvement in charitable associations continued in London, as he contributed a great deal of time and effort to the local children in Sheperdsbush. His efforts created an annual Sports Day for hundreds of children over many years, as well as several charitable golf outings.

He was also involved in the successful raising of funds to help send a young lady from his hometown of Kill to the Special Olympics in Barcelona.

Nowadays, a well established Irish stalwart in Manhattan, Garrett enjoys his post as president of the Emerald Guild Society and all the charitable and positive activity that it involves: "The Emerald Guild began in 1992 and it is really an organization whereby we get the members fixed up with education and employment.

"In the last two years, we have added fifty buildings that have made way for managerial positions, concierge, and handy men. We have also been responsible for sorting in between three hundred and four hundred J1 visas for people needing to start work. And there is no lid on it; the organization can keep growing and being built upon. It all depends on who puts the effort in after I leave." So what will Garrett do when he is no longer president of the Emerald Guild Society?

"Well, you don't leave the organization. I'll stay involved with the charitable side of things, such as the golf and the scholarships. Each year, $20,000 goes to the members' children to help pay for high schools.

"Actually, the Irish Consulate have invited us to present all the money to the children on October 19th this year, as well as the money which is allocated to each charity. All charities are currently set at getting about $1000 each, although this year, one of the member's children is ill with leukaemia so we are having a separate fundraiser for her in September, and we are hoping to raise $35,000 from that."

This year, the Emerald Guild Society are donating a portion of the golf outing proceeds and 100% of website advertisements to the following charities: Louise Daggett Fund, Aisling Centre, GAA Minor Board, NY Irish Centre, LIC, Emerald Isle Immigration Center, Project Irish Children, HOPe. Ecuador Quilt, Ladies Gaelic Football, The American Irish Historical Society and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

"I asked the guys to pick out twenty charities and then myself and a few others whittled them down to ten. The Irish charities, and the ones that are local, are special to me. It's great to see all these organizations doing such a great job for the community and keeping it going in this economic climate. This year we decided to divide the available money out amongst a number of charities, instead of just picking one like we have in previous years."

The Irish Examiner would like to congratulate and thank Mr Garrett Doyle for the great work he has done for the Irish community, amongst others, over the years, and we hope he enjoys this special night with all his friends and family in attendance. "I didn't realize I'm the first Man of the Year! Seriously though, it's a great privilege to be even asked, and I'm pleased with the fact that I must be doing some good out there."