Two hundred and seventy people listened raptly to a witty and very frank Joe Schmidt, Ireland Rugby Coach, at the inaugural Clongowes Union Business Lunch, with proceeds in aid of the Jack Kavanagh Trust (www.jackkavanaghtrust.com), which took place on Friday 11th October, 2013 in the Conrad Hotel.
Started with a view to increasing the opportunity for OCs to network, the lunch was a resounding success from each of a networking, entertainment and fundraising perspective. Conceived by the Union Committee, and organised by Paul Maher, whose event management company, Quality Events provided their services for free, Maeliosa Power and Andrew Lynch, the lunch drew a strong response from across the generations, and was a sell-out well before the day. Of course Joe Schmidt’s presence as speaker (generously done at no cost) was a huge draw, and guests were not disappointed as Joe struck a serious note on the theme of resilience – comparing the resilience of sportspersons to the much greater resilience needed by someone like Jack Kavanagh – and a lighter, but very frank note on the theme of rugby in general, and Irish rugby in particular.
Through ticket sales, generous sponsorship from KPMG and the proceeds of a raffle held on the day, the event raised over €15,000 for the Jack Kavanagh Trust.
Peter Gray, Clongowes Union President
Ireland rugby coach Joe Scmidt, with Jack’s parents Peter and Elmarie
