Conan O'Brien to Be Honored With The Irish Spirit Award at the American Ireland Fund Young Leaders St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Conan O'Brien to Be Honored With The Irish Spirit Award at the American Ireland Fund Young Leaders St. Patrick's Day Celebration

NEW YORK, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual American Ireland Fund Young Leaders St. Patrick's Day Celebration will take place on Thursday, March 13th at Cipriani 23rd Street in New York City. With more than 800 friends of Ireland attending, the event has established itself as New York's premier St. Patrick's Day event. Along with support from lead sponsor Bushmills, the Young Leaders have established a fundraising goal of $200,000. Emmy Award- winning Irish-American television host Conan O'Brien will be honored with the 2008 Young Leaders Irish Spirit Award in recognition of his Irish heritage, outstanding achievements in the entertainment world, and philanthropic work with the non-profit "Labels are for Jars" in his native Boston.

Proceeds from the event will support PeacePlayers International, an organization that uses the game of basketball as a tool to promote mutual understanding and respect between Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland. Basketball, unlike traditional sports in Northern Ireland, is not affiliated with either community. By competing together on mixed teams on a regular basis, prejudices are overcome by the desire to play and have fun.

Event Co-Chairs Robert Fox and Pat Tully commented, "Thanks to the dedication and commitment of the New York Young Leaders, we are confident that this is going to be our most successful event to date. As a true celebration of all things Irish, we are proud to be part of what has quickly become one of the most important St. Patrick's Day parties in the greatest city in the world."

At the celebration, Young Leader Co-Chairs Patrick Tully and Robert Fox will present The American Ireland Fund 2008 Young Leaders Irish Spirit Award to Conan O'Brien and Celtic rock band Scythian will provide entertainment.

The mission of The American Ireland Fund is to be the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs of Peace and Reconciliation, Arts and Culture, Education and Community Development throughout the island of Ireland. The Ireland Funds host more than 100 events in 40 cities attended by over 40,000 people. Since 1976, The Ireland Funds have raised over $300 million. Paving the way for the future of The American Ireland Fund, the New York Young Leaders is a key program attracting young, energetic individuals wishing to cultivate an authentic connection with their heritage, while channeling their philanthropic efforts to Ireland's advantage.

To learn more about The American Ireland Fund, please visit www.irlfunds.org

Source: American Ireland Fund

CONTACT: Maureen Gillespie of American Ireland Fund, +1-212-689-3100,
mgillespie@irlfunds.org

Web site: http://www.irlfunds.org/

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