On Thursday October 24th, Blackrock College RFC hosted a Gala Dinner fundraiser, in the Intercontinental Hotel, Ballsbridge. The stunning Shrewsbury Ballroom provided an intimate setting for 400 club members, executive committee members, friends of BCRFC, corporate sponsors and special guests.
A great evening commenced with our emcee for the evening, former British Lion & Irish international, of Dancing With the Stars fame, and a legendary club man, Shane Byrne. Shane kicked the evening off with an intro that he "isn't Craig Doyle", followed by a quick game of heads and tails raffle, with a prize for a stay at Mount Juliet, courtesy of Tetrarch Capital Limited.
Shane had the audience in stitches with his stories, before Rock's Vice President, Mick Dwan, addressed the guests, specifically highlighting the club's recent successes and the importance of a fundraiser night.
After the introductions, a delicious 3-course dinner, with exquisite service by the hotel's dining staff, was served. The meal was exceptional and included a starter of Irish Smoked Salmon Herb Mayo, Radish and Fennel Salad, Dill, a main course of Fillet of Irish Beef Lyonnaise Potato Gratin, Caramelised Shallot, Vegetable Parcel, Merlot Jus and a Classic Tasting Plate dessert with: Raspberry Cheesecake, Red Velvet Sponge,
Caramelita IceCream, Hazelnut Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache.
Our auctioneer extraordinaire, Eamon O'Flaherty, of Sherry FitzGerald Brady O'Flaherty in Maynooth, Kildare, then whizzed through the list of ten auction items, resulting in one of the club's most successful auctions ever. A huge thank you to the generosity of the individuals and organizations who donated the various auction items, including Frank & Leo Cullen, Gerry Whelan from Walls to Workstations, Ian Madigan, the Intercontinental Hotel, John Galligan Travel, Michael Holland from Fitzwilliam Hotel, Pat Finn, Simon Mullen and Syndicates Racing.
Our evening concluded with the main event, a panel discussion between Shane and our event speakers, Jacques Nienaber, Andrew Goodman, and Nigel Osborne. The group discussed several topics, ranging from the upcoming Autumn Nation Series to the importance of a winning mentality, with Nigel's spot on impressions peppered throughout the conversations.
Special thanks to IRFU President, Declan Madden, and his wife Ger, along with Leinster President and Rock's own, Declan Gardiner, and his wife Helen, as well as Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, TD, and another rugby stalwart, Hugo MacNeill, for joining us on the evening. Additional thanks to Frank and Leo Cullen, who took a night off of his busy coaching schedule prior to Leinster's win on Saturday.
To all the individuals and groups who supported this event, thank you for taking a table, with your support the Club's lights will continue to stay on!
Thank you to: BLG CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS, BROPHY & CO., CATERHIRE, CANTOR FITZGERALD IRELAND, CARL GROSS, FRANK CULLEN, CAHIR DOHERTY, DOYLE PENSION, FAMILY GRASS, FLYEFIT, FRANK O'RIORDAN , GLEESONS OF BOOTERSTOWN, GOWAN GROUP, HOGAN HEALTHCARE, HOOKE AND MACDONALD, INSOMNIA / CLOHISEY, IVC FLOORING, JAVELIN, KESTREL CAPITAL, KOUCHIN HOLDINGS, LÉ CHEILE GROUP / LEX RISK, LK SHIELDS, GABBY MAGUIRE, GARRY MCMAHON, MENARINI PHARMACEUTICALS, MINT, ROCK PARENTS, ROCK PAST PRESIDENTS, SHANNON TECH SERVICES, SHERIDANS, SHERRY FITZGERALD LETTINGS, DOMINIC SILVESTOR, SPAR, BRIAN O'SULLIVAN, REDDY ARCHITECTURE, TRIANGLE, UNITED DRUG, WALLS TO WORKSTATIONS, ZURICH LIFE ASSURANCE
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