Don't miss our upcoming event on 25th January with international speaker @sarahrowe123 in the @theclareinn. This is a free event and we would love to see as many supporters as possible at this event. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/tara-trust-in-collaboration-with-mna-na-heireann-irish-clubs-in-nz-75949630753 #aucklandgaa #irishmammies #aucklandirishsociety #clareinn #stpatricksfestival #ibnnz

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh, Mo Chara

To all our Friends of Ireland The Tara Trust we wish you a safe and happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

This event is being held on 1 -2 March by The Irish Interest Group Lower North Island in Wellington, find out all about your history in this two day event.

Announcing. Half Light: Rennie Pearson and Bob McNeill are are coming to NZ! We are going to be playing a short little stint of shows in the South Island ending with this show in Christchurch. Most of the shows are yet to be announced but we can conferm we will defenitly be playing in Murchison, Geraldine, Whare Flat Folk Festival, Cardrona, Alexandra, St Bathans, and Christchurch. We are fresh off our Aussie tour and the music is flying. Can't wait to share it with you all! https://www.renniepearsonmusic.com/copy-of-events-tickets

International Speaker Sarah Rowe, Ballina, County Mayo, Triple Code Sportswoman and Community Advocate, proudly sponsored by Hugh Green Foundation. Tickets are limited for Auckland, don't miss out. See all details at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sarah-rowe-triple-code-sportswoman-and-community-advocate-tickets-772465955467

Back for Business 2024 programme seeks returning Irish emigrants starting business in Ireland Applications are invited for the seventh annual cycle of the Back for Business programme, which is designed specifically to help returned and returning Irish emigrant entrepreneurs to develop businesses in Ireland. The programme, which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, addresses challenges that all are encountered by all early-stage entrepreneurs, but also focuses on additional barriers faced by emigrants. The closing date for applications is Monday 15 January 2024, 5pm. This cycle will run from February to June 2024. Application forms and brochures are available at www.backforbusiness.com.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers that came out this morning to set up for the Children’s Christmas Party Auckland IRISH CLUB. Without your help these amazing community events would not happen.

It was such a privilege to be asked to speak at the IBNNZ event last night. Thank you for having me it was a wonderful opportunity for me to talk about The Tara Trust, and all our upcoming events, thank you for your donations and for buying raffle tickets. I am truly humbled by your generosity.

Tara Trust fundraising. Only 15 to go until drawn on 15 December.

I had a wonderful afternoon spending time with Aidan Cronin, Director of Irish Abroad, Department of Foreign Affairs who is visiting from Ireland, it was wonderful to talk to Aidan about the plans we have for 2024 with The Tara Trust and Mnā ńa hĒireann. It is great to meet the people that give us the opportunities to help the Irish Diaspora in New Zealand. Without their funding our jobs would be so much harder. Thank you.

Ticket sales going well, it would be great to have your support. All details in photo.

Buy a ticket to win a $5000 Visa Prezzy Card for Christmas. All details in the photo. Please support the Friends of Ireland - The Tara Trust. Follow the ticket sales on our FB page.

The Friends of Ireland/The Tara Trust would like to thank Karen Cusack Manning for her role as the National Coordinator, Karen decided to step down at the end of her contract in March due to other work and family commitments. from the role. We wish her all the best for the future. We are thrilled to announce that Jane Quinn will take up the role of National Coordinator along with offering support to the Embassy of Ireland New Zealand where needed, this is effective immediately. Jane recently stood down from her role as President of the Auckland IRISH CLUB, Jane was a trustee for the St Patrick's Festival NZ and was also on the board at the IBNNZ in Auckland for many years. Jane brings a set of skills required to raise the profile of the The Tara Trust and to increase the awareness of the Tara Trust in NZ. Fundraising for The Tara Trust will be a large part of Jane's role and we hope you support all the initiative's that Jane puts forward to raise funds for the trust to ensure Irish arts, culture and welfare of the Irish diaspora is maintained in New Zealand. You can reach Jane on info@friendsofireland.co.nz

Did you know Friend of Ireland @martymone has toured Aotearoa New Zealand twice? Who would like to see Marty back for a show? The Full Ireland 32 team hit the diff to get this jersey to him. The Ireland Full 32 team are kindly donating $ 10 from each jersey sale to The Tara Trust. https://irelandfull32.com 👍☘️

Friend of Ireland Lorcan Bolster will be the musical director for The Ōpuke Gathering which will be held in Methven Mt Hutt from 14th - 16th April. Lorcan is originally from Limerick and moved to Christchurch in 1998. Hes lives in South Brighton and has 3 kiwi-born kids - Jaime, Caolan and Sam. "I played a bit of guitar in Ireland but really found Irish trad as a player in NZ, buying a Davy Stuart NZ made bouzouki and hitting the session scene in Christchurch. I've played in a few bands in Christchurch - Bang Your Frog with Laura Taylor and Kenny Ritch, multiple iterations of Catharsis and latterly in a duo - Sionna - with the supremely talented Helen Fahy. I still play football - albeit at Master level, mountain biking, tramping skiing - all the good stuff that makes NZ an outdoor paradise. I visit most of the folk music festivals around the country as well as the summer festivals in Ireland when I get back. I run a annual tunes weekend festival in New Brighton in December called Cois Farraige and of course I am honoured and delighted to be musical director at the Opuke festival coming up in Methven in April. Happiest when playing - whether with Helen in Sionna or at the sessions at the Last Word, A Rolling Stone and Paddy McNaughtons. Come up and say hi at the gathering!"

A huge thank you to The Rt. Hon Adrian Rurawhe, Speaker of the House 🙏 for hosting the IBNNZ and The Tara Trust luncheon at parliament on St Patrick's Day and to Mr Charlie McConalogue T.D, Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine and H.E Jane Connolly, Ambassador of Ireland to New Zealand and the team at the Embassy of Ireland New Zealand and all the other dignitaries who attended. Thanks to all our table and event partners and attendees who supported this fundraising event. We hope you enjoy some photos from the event here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/spd and don't forget to donate and support our 'Proud Friend of Ireland' campaign. All donations go to The Tara Trust, a registered charity which supports Irish arts, culture and the welfare of the Irish diaspora in Aotearoa New Zealand. ☘️☘️👏

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit! On behalf of Friends of Ireland may we wish a very happy St Patrick's Day to our community and we hope you will have the time to connect and celebrate and one of the many society and club events throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. We're on a mission to spread some Irish aroha, love, grá and over the last 12 months, we've reached over 750,000 Friends of Ireland on our channels. We really appreciate your support. Let's hope our boys can put the icing on the cake in Dublin on Saturday and bring home the grand slam. ☘️☘️👍💪

A chairde, can you Wear a Touch of Green? As we begin what promises to be a very special week, with St Patrick's Day events and celebrations located all over Aotearoa, New Zealand, this morning we launch our Touch of Green campaign in support of The Tara Trust. Find our how you can help 🙏🙏 here... https://proud.friendsofireland.co.nz

IBNNZ & The Tara Trust have just released the final table/seats for this year's St Patrick's Day Parliament Luncheon which will be the largest to date. The lunch is being hosted by The Rt. Hon Adrian Rurawhe, Speaker of the House, which is a great privilege for the Irish diaspora. This year we are also looking forward to welcoming special guest Mr Charlie McConalogue T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for the Speaker’s St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon. Patrons will also enjoy a very special performance by the New Zealand String Quartet in advance of their evening show in Wellington. #stpatricksday Final Tickets Released Here & closing. https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/

Friends of Ireland is remembering Mr Lawrence Thomas McGuinness today and celebrating his legacy. For over eighty years LT McGuinness has continually supported the Irish diaspora and community in New Zealand. The company has been a great Friend of Ireland and generously supported so many cultural events and projects across the country. The company was established by Lawrence T McGuinness in 1950 and later passed on to his sons Jim, Peter and Brian. Now one of New Zealand’s largest privately-owned construction companies, with a talented and dedicated staff of 400 in Wellington and Auckland. LT McGuinness @ltmcguinness_construction operates like a family but has the resources of a major company. Today, the company is led by the third generation still delivering landmark construction projects throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. http://www.ltmcguinness.co.nz/ Friends of Ireland will be able to connect and network with Brian, the LT McGuiness family and other key business leaders at IBNNZ St Patrick's Day Parliament Luncheon on March 17th. https://events.humanitix.com/st-patrick-s-day-parliament...

A huge week last week for our friends at Taranaki Irish Club. Pictured president Louise Buhler and secretary Kevin Bracken beside their new banner, which was supported by Friends of Ireland, The Tara Trust. Over the last 12 months The Tara Trust has been helping some of the awesome organisations in our community with marketing tools & support to help promote their clubs and amazing projects ☘️.

Our national coordinator Karen Manning got the opportunity this morning to thank Mr Joe Hackett Ireland’s Foreign Ministry Secretary General Irish Foreign Ministry Irish Foreign Ministry and the team at the Embassy of Ireland New Zealand for their continued support and also update them on the work and reach of the Tara Trust and Friends of Ireland community. Pictured from left to right, Karen Manning The Tara Trust, Mr Joe Hackett, Ireland’s Foreign Ministry Secretary General and Mr Kieran McErlain, Christchurch Irish Society

Friend of Ireland James Mac Aodhagain – a sports scientist and also the strength and conditioning coach for football’s Central League champions Wellington Olympic – has kick-started two initiatives to help give kids in the region some sporting relief from the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. James has launched a Givelittle page dubbed “Let the kids play” to raise money for football gear for children in the area. He is also overseeing the collection of donated football shirts, boots, balls and other gear that will be distributed by Napier City Rovers in the community. Jump in and help here, https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/let-the-kids-play 💪💪☘️☘️

Supported by The Tara Trust, Ashburton District Council , Friend of Ireland Lorcan Bolster today launched a very special cultural event which will take place in the South Island in April 2023. "It will be my great pleasure to welcome you to Ōpuke, Mt Hutt, Methven for this celebration of Irish music & culture which will be held on 14th to 16th April 2023. We are honoured to be hosting H.E Ms Jane Connolly, Ambassador of Ireland to New Zealand at this event together with other dignitaries from the Ashburton District. We are so lucky to have so many talented traditional Irish musicians travelling to this event from all over Aotearoa, New Zealand. We look forward to extending a céad míle fáilte, one hundred thousand welcomes to you." Lorcan Bolster, Musical Director Save the date: https://www.opukegathering.co.nz/

Friends of Ireland across the country are making a significant contribution to business in Aotearoa New Zealand . Congraulations to Colm Hamroughe, CEO of TDX Ltd who has been shortlisted for the Business Leader of The Year in the inaugural The Business Post Global Irish Diaspora Awards. 👍☘️☘️☘️

Over the coming weeks, we'll do our best to profile many of the St Patrick's Day Celebration events which will take place throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand in March 2023. The team at the stunning Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin are planning a very special day for St Patrick’s Day 2023 at Toitū – with craft activities for the kids, films, talks, dance and more, this is an afternoon and evening of Irish fun for the whole family. Kicking things off at 2pm, learn the history of Irish immigration in Otago from Toitū curator Sean Brosnahan, then join in the festive evening atmosphere as the Josephine Foyer transforms with song and dance. Taste some traditional Irish food, learn the language with Dr Diarmaid Coffey, sit back and relax watching some classic Irish films, or dive into your Irish ancestry in our Research Centre. ☘️☘️

riends of Ireland are completing extraordinary work and projects, making their service contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand. In the lead up to Brigid's Day celebrations we will be profiling some of the extraordinary women working within our community. In 2012 Sara Davis (nee Manning) emigrated to Methven, Mid Canterbury where she now lives with her family including parents and two sisters, who all emigrated at the same time. Sara began her her medical career path in Ireland with nursing studies, before jumping off the plane into working for her local ambulance station to pursue her dream career, working as a paramedic. Sara now works for HHato Hone St JohnAmbulance and has completed multiple qualifications in Emergency Medicine including a NZDAP Diploma in Ambulance Care, Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Paramedicine (BHSc) and is currently studying hard to complete her post graduate studies in medicine. Sara proudly works for Hato Hone St John Ambulance holding a South Island role within the clinical improvement and development team. Within this role she works with internal and external stakeholders to improve, develop and maintain national high and low acuity patient pathways in the pre-hospital space. Sara does this while working as a emergency ambulance paramedic, on the front-line. "It's an absolute privilege to work in this beautiful country and enjoys connecting to Ireland on a daily basis." Sara is married to her kiwi husband Patrick, and they have two beautiful boys together… she has to fight quite hard to get the Irish jersey on her boys! #brigidsday ☘️☘️💪 ❤️

Friends of Ireland are completing extraordinary work and projects all over Aotearoa New Zealand. In the lead up to Brigid's Day celebrations we will be profiling some of the extraordinary woman working within our community. In 2016 Leanne Ross emigrated to Dunedin, with her Kiwi husband and son. They have since added a daughter and a British bulldog to the family. Leanne is currently the Chief Customer Officer at Netsafe, New Zealand’s independent, non-profit online safety organisation which works to protect our tamariki safe online. Before this role she served as the inaugural Executive Director of the New Zealand Game Developers Association (NZGDA), an interactive media advocacy group. During the “pandemic times”, Leanne worked as Director of Marketing, Sales and Communications at Otago Polytechnic, where they won the Marketing Association New Zealand sector award for excellence in education in 2021. Previous to that, she was the Professional Practice Fellow at the University of Otago Business School teaching Digital and Sports Marketing, which followed a role as Marketing Lead at New Zealand games studio Runaway. 👍☘️ #brigidsday

Friends of Ireland are completing extraordinary work and projects all over Aotearoa New Zealand. In the lead up to Brigid's Day celebrations we will be profiling some of the extraordinary woman working within our community. Friend of Ireland Órla Harkin lives in Wellington and is a leading strategic business consultant and futurist dedicated to helping leaders solve the uncertainty of the future. Raised and educated in Belfast, Órla began her career as a barrister. Today, based in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a far reaching global network, Órla is a proud member of the Irish diaspora. She is an enthusiastic spokesperson for the power of identity and how people and communities can tap into a global culture by helping people better understand their history and the value inherent in their differences. Outside of work, Órla is mum to a young Irish-Kiwi, travels widely and throws herself wholeheartedly into poetry, literature and the arts. #brigidsday 💪☘️ Connect with Órla https://harkinconsulting.com

Friends of Ireland are completing extraordinary work and projects all over Aotearoa New Zealand. In the lead up to St. Brigid's Day celebrations we will be profiling some of the extraordinary woman working within our community. Friend of Ireland Arlene Baird comes originally from Co Down. She works as a heritage consultant planner and lives with her partner James in Mid Canterbury. Her latest project, The Ng King Brothers Chinese Market Garden operated in Ashburton from the early 1920s until 1964. The project was a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution to Heritage Award in 2021. It became a settlement where Chinese were offered employment, company and education. By the late 1940s, it had about 12 houses and at least 80 residents. Arlene has been involved with the site since 2014 and said it was incredibly challenging at the start. "These buildings, which are so rich in history, were in desperate need of repair, but due to the complex ownership of the property, funding options were very limited,’’ Led by Arlene, Ashburton District Council, working with Ng King descendants and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, have worked collectively to save the site. Yep Ng, son of one of the original King Brothers, spent five years contacting descendants to get their approval for the Ashburton District Council to manage the site as a reserve. Work is being carried out on the site to repair and restore some of the buildings and to provide interpretation to enable a greater understanding of the importance of the site to the Chinese community in Ashburton. Like our own diaspora, the story of the Ng King settlers is one of sacrifice and determination, of hard work, and the belief in the power of collaboration. The Chinese sense of family and community was of utmost importance, and they understand that co-operation could lead to great success as a community. That same collaborative approach has been the key to successfully saving the site, and its stories, 100 years later. You can learn more about Arlene's amazing work and projects here https://www.eradesign.co.nz/ #brigidsday ☘️☘️

Friends of Ireland are completing extraordinary work and projects all over Aotearoa New Zealand. In the lead up to St. Brigid's Day celebrations we will be profiling some of the extraordinary woman working within our community. Friend of Ireland Cushla Sheridan comes originally from Fermanagh. She lives in beautiful Russell in the Bay of Islands. Cushla. Cushla Sheridan has lovingly created an amazing space, Te Hine Ruru Retreat, a space to be nurtured and to reconnect. Cushla is a qualified therapist in multiple modalities, including therapeutic massage, yoga, EFT tapping, energy and sound healing, and offers these therapies and more to all guests choosing to stay at Te Hine Ruru. You can learn more and connect with Cushla here https://tehineruru.com #StBrigidsDay 💪☘️☘️

Friends of Ireland are completing extraordinary work and projects all over Aotearoa New Zealand. In the lead up to St. Brigid's Day celebrations we will be profiling some of the extraordinary woman working within our community. Friend of Ireland Niamh M Buchanan (pictured left) is originally from Limerick. She has lived in Christchurch for thirteen years with her kiwi husband Guy and their two children. Niamh and her business partner Melanie Lynn (pictured right) are the female founders of @wellnownz . Both woman left the corporate world to build a business with positive community impact in the health and wellbeing space. Together they have founded WellNowNZ, a start-up business with a vision to enable and empower people to access immediate health and wellness services, when they need them most. Using innovative thinking and modern technology, they have built a website https://wellnow.nz/ which connects people looking for health and wellness appointments to multiple practitioners with availability up to 7 days out, in real time. Services include physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopath, massage, podiatry and acupuncture. They were awarded a place in the 2022 HealthTech Challenge and have recently been awarded a place in the Founder Catalyst Programme in partnership with the Ministry of Awesome, ChristchurchNZ and Callaghan Innovation. The business went live in Christchurch before Christmas, with a nationwide rollout planned for early/mid 2023. They would love your support and feedback. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for the competitions they frequently run. #stBrigidsDay ☘️☘️

Shout out for our 1st Give A Little donation from Peadar! Pictured a magnificent 7 of 32. Donate to the Full 32 & Queenstown V Christchurch charity hurling game for a shout out. Jump in and Give A Little here, https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/charity-hurling-event-and-the-full-32

Friends of Ireland in Wellington are in for a special treat on Sunday 15th. Traditional Irish musicians Criú will be playing at Gardens Magic, the iconic Wellington City Council concert series which includes a light display, and a kids garden trail. Criú, taken from the darkest corner of a small lamplit pub, into the green of the park to get your toes tapping! 8pm - 9.15pm. ☘️

Friend of Ireland Keith Cleere comes from New Ross, Co Wexford. He played hurling in Ireland for Horeswood GAA. Keith moved to Wellington three years ago after travelling in Asia with his partner Caoimhe. He works as a architectural lead. Keith will proudly represent Co Wexford before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. Entry will be by donation and the proceeds distributed to St John & The Tara Trust. The event will be followed that evening by the @kingbeatsfestival We've worked from A to W and now posted 31/32 reps, 1 to go. You can now order your commemorative event jersey here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/ ☘

Friend of Ireland Willie Morrissey comes from Ballinacourty, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. His club in Waterford was Modeligo Community G.A.A. He has lived in Christchurch for 10 years and works as a carpenter. He plays for @waimak_gaels Club Christchurch in NZ. Willy will proudly represent Co Waterford before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. Entry will be by donation and the proceeds distributed to St John & The Tara Trust. The event will be followed that evening by the @KingBeatsFestival/ We've worked from A to W and now posted 29/32 reps, 3 to go. You can now order your commemorative event jersey here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/ ☘

Friend of Ireland Peter Hayes comes from Tipperary Town. He played hurling and football for Official Arravale Rovers GAA in Tipperary Town. He's lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for just over 3 years and works as a small animal vet in Wellington. Peter will proudly represent Co Tipperary before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. Entry will be by donation and the proceeds distributed to St John & The Tara Trust. The event will be followed that evening by the @kingbeats_festival/ We've worked from A to T and now posted 28/32 reps, 4 to go. You can now order your commemorative event jersey here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/ ☘️

We've kicked into what promises to be a very exciting new year for the Tara Trust, Friends of Ireland with multiple projects and events planned. No doubt a highlight will be this event which will support our work and is open to Friends of Ireland throughout Aotearoa New Zealand to attend. "The Rt. Hon Adrian Rurawhe, Speaker of the House is delighted to host, IBNNZ, The Irish Business Network of New Zealand at a special gala luncheon celebration of St Patrick’s Day, Friday 17th March 2023. The proceeds of this event will support the work of the Tara Trust, Friends of Ireland." We're very thankful to the speaker The Rt. Hon Adrian Rurawhe and our friends at IBNNZ and Embassy of Ireland New Zealand for their support. Tickets are limited and available from https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/

Friend of Ireland Niall Walsh hails from the home of hurling Co. Tipperary and played hurling and football with Moyne Templetuohy Gaa. "I’ve lived in Queenstown about 10 years, the first 5 were spent working in the food & beverage industry, the second in the trades and services industry starting my furniture making company Rustic Soul Designs." ☘️ Niall will proudly represent Co Tipperary before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. Entry will be by donation and the proceeds distributed to St John & The Tara Trust. We've worked from A to T and now posted 27/32 reps, 5 to go. You can now order your commemorative event jersey here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/ ☘️

Friend of Ireland Conor Kerins comes from Sligo town and played for St John's GAA and county at all levels. He moved west and played for Shannon Blues Gaelic Football Club - Boston before moving to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2017. He works as a brewery manager for Canyon Brewing QT. "We grew up in a very sporty family in which all four siblings were hyper competitive. We had super supportive parents who have encouraged me to be where I want to be and who I want to be." Conor will proudly represent Co Sligo before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've worked from A to S and now posted 26/32 reps. You can now order your commemorative event jersey here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/ ☘️

Friends of Ireland Kate McLaughlin, Thomas (from Kildare) & little Rosie (from Auckland) watching the Late Late toy show earlier this month. We're loving the PJs team! They would like to wish our community and friends and family in Ireland and Aotearoa New Zealand a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🎄✨❤️ We would love to share your Christmas photos and messages here. Please PM us.

We're keen to share photos of Friends of Ireland from all over Aotearoa New Zealand, pictured beside their Christmas trees. Please send us your photos. Our national coordinator Karen Manning pictured with her husband Gary in Methven, Mt Hutt, Mid Canterbury. Please pm, send us your pics and greetings and we will post them here. ☘️👍

The awesome team behind 'The Full 32 Counties' event have designed a very special commemorative jersey thanks to the support of Elite Crete Systems Ireland & Morrison's Irish Pub. This will be a very limited run collectors jersey. The team are kindly donating $ 10 per jersey to The Tara Trust. The Tara Trust exists to support the Irish Community in New Zealand through its support of Irish arts, culture and the welfare of the Irish diaspora. Pre-orders now open here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/order-jersey 👏

Friend of Ireland Niamh Hamilton from Aughnamullen, Co Monaghan grew up in a busy house with 6 sisters and 4 brothers! She played for gaelic games for Aughnamullen GAA. She arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019 and works as a Road Maintenance operator and is living her best life in Queenstown. Niamh will proudly represent Co Monaghan before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've worked from A to M and now posted 23/32 reps here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz ☘

Founded in 2013, St.Pats Emerald City GAA, Auckland is a GAA Club with Men & Women's Gaelic Football, Hurling & Camogie teams in Auckland. Always welcoming new members, get in touch with them to connect with new friends on the field and socially. ☘️☘️

Our national coordinator Karen, pictured with dancer Killian Sweeney after the fantastic Celtic Christmas show by A Taste of Ireland Company. The show now heads north with the next performance scheduled Auckland on Wednesday 7th. ☘️☘️https://www.atasteofirelandshow.com

Friend of Ireland Pàdraig Ní Mhathoig comes from Knockmore, Co Mayo. He first arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand In January 2013 and stayed until May 2016 when he left for Australia. He has since returned in 2021 and is now living in Cromwell and working with cattle and sheep on Bendigo Station. Pàdraig will proudly represent Co Mayo before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've now posted 21/32 reps here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz ☘

Friend of Ireland Jenny Ní Fhaoláin graduated from NUI Galway with a degree and Masters in Irish, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education has been passionate about the Irish language since she attended primary school. Now living in Aotearoa New Zealand she has developed an innovative resource and course to help you add some Gaeilge sa Bhaile (Irish at home). ☘️☘️👏 Learn more https://www.gaelscoilonline.com/

Friend of Ireland John Benson, from Drogheda, Co Louth and has lived Queenstown since 2009. He's now a New Zealand citizen and works as head chef at Ferg's Bar Queenstown. John will proudly represent Co Louth before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've now posted 20/32 reps here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz ☘

Today H.E Jane Connolly, Ambassador of Ireland to New Zealand, Embassy of Ireland New Zealand and H.E Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand signed on behalf of their respective governments to establish diplomatic relations between Ireland & the Cook Islands 🇮🇪🇨🇰 . A historic moment for the two island nations ☘️🌺

Our national coordinator Karen pictured with some Irish Mammies at The Dubliner over the weekend. In 2021, Friends of Ireland, The Tara Trust supported Irish Mammies by developing their own website, https://www.irishmammies.co.nz/. Irish Mammies provide a physical connection and support with fellow Irish Mammies in Aotearoa, New Zealand. They provides a connection through social medial which is available any time of day or night. Jump in and join their tribe. ☘️☘️

FT: Ireland 13-10 Australia. Ireland finish the year with a 12th successive home win and complete a clean sweep of successes over the southern hemisphere's big three in a calendar year. #TeamOfUs ☘️

Our national coordinator Karen attended a cruinniú (meeting) last night of the 'Meitheal' project, an initiative by Fiona Deehan and supported by Rātā Foundation. The Irish word ‘Meitheal’ means ‘a collective effort for the greater good of the community’. Hosted by Fiona Deehan at Christchurch Irish Society with representatives from a number of clubs and organisations. In a digital world, this was a great opportunity to network and connect in person with key leaders within our community including IBNNZ, Canterbury GAA, Christchurch McKennas GAA, Christchurch Irish Society, Cois Farraige. ☘️☘️

Friend of Ireland Mark Connaughton comes from the parish of Stone Park, Co Longford where he played for Grattan Óg Gaa. Mark moved to Aotearoa, New Zealand over eleven year ago. He met Celilia here in New Zealand and got married in Argentina in November 2019. Mark works as a carpenter and has a 17 month old daughter called Valentina and is now a citizen of New Zealand 👊 Mark will proudly represent Co Longford before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've now posted 18/32 reps here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz ☘

Introducing president of Invercargill Irish Society, Andrew Knox. Founded in 1967, with its main aim to "promote a love and fidelity of Ireland, to promote and preserve her customs and culture and to arrange for the holding of functions, namely dances, Cèilidh, picnics etc." The society always welcome new members. "There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met." W.B Yeats

This week, Friends of Ireland can enjoy the fascinating story of our own Rodney Walshe, trustee of Friends of Ireland, The Tara Trust on The Global Gael. So many of our community will know Rodney and the amazing body of work he has done for our community over more than six decades. He served as Honorary Consul General of Ireland to New Zealand for almost forty years. He is a recipient of the New Zealand Order of Merit and the Presidential Distinguished Service Award by President Higgins in 2013. ☘️☘️ Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3QEQRwPMBMNHXwQMOJXqRz?si=45169df88ee44f25

Friend of Ireland James McNamara music is passionate about traditional Irish music and is hosting a series of learn traditional Irish tunes' workshops in Wellington. Next up, on November 14th will feature Kris Nielsen on the uilleann pipes (pictured below). You’ll learn ways to drive a tune that take their inspiration from piping. The workshops are being hosting Mondays, 7.30 – 9 p.m. at Toi Poneke Arts Centre, 61-69 Abel Smith St, in the Community Room. ☘️

Friend of Ireland Niamh Murphy comes from Drumshanbo,.Co Leitrim. She left ireland over 12 years ago and traveled through Canada and Australia, then finally settling in New Zealand nine years ago. She works as a hair stylist in Frankton, Queenstown. Niamh will proudly represent Co Leitrim before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've now posted 17/32 reps here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz ☘

Regional coordinator of The Tara Trust, Karen has been working closely with some of the amazing cultural groups and societies located throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand to support them and their projects. Here's our first marketing banner on the way this morning to Invercargill Irish Society with the support of The Tara Trust. ☘️

Brilliant Ireland hold off late Springboks comeback! #TeamOfUs

Friend of Ireland Cathal Grennan is from Kilcavan, Co Laois and arrived in New Zealand in June. "I’m a healthcare worker. I wanted to do a bit of travelling so decided to come to Aotearoa, New Zealand. I worked as a nurse throughout Covid 19. Once global travel reopened, I wanted to try something different! I'm now currently in Rangitata, Canterbury working for the Spectrum Group on an 800 cow diary farm. Cathal will proudly represent Co Laois before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. We've now posted 16/32 reps here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz ☘

Good news for Friends of Ireland in business. The IBNNZ is expanding to the Waikato and will host a meeting in Hamilton on 15th November. Their guest speaker will be Rhys Ellison, Principal at Rhys Ellison Law and former professional rugby player with Munster in Ireland. Rhys played in the European Cup with Munster and won the All Ireland League with Shannon RFC. https://www.ibnnz.com/events

Friend of Ireland Peadar McGeehan hails from Urlingford and was a member of Emeralds GAA in Urlingford. He has lived in Aotearoa, New Zealand for over five years. He's currently living in Auckland and operates earthmoving equipment for a living, working on New Zealand's roads. He enjoys the GAA and getting out and about to see this beautiful country. Peadar will proudly represent Co Kilkenny before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. Learn more about the event here, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/ ☘️

Friend of Ireland, Colm 'Curly' Geraghty comes from Newbridge in County Kildare and has lived In Aotearoa New Zealand for eleven years. He works as a block layer. He's been together with Adele for seven years and the couple married last year with their first baby due next week. 👏💪 Colm will represent Co Kildare before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. The crew will have representatives from all 32 counties present before the hurling. Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Hosted by journalist, author and broadcaster Philip O'Connor, The Global Gael is a brand new podcast which features stories of Irish people abroad. "There’s no such thing as an “ordinary” Irish person abroad. Everyone has a story. The third episode heads Down Under, where friends Joe McManus and Jamie Cleere have built a currach and sailed it under Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge, and our own Leon Hartnett from Invercargill to talk about finding a sense of community in a place about as far from Dublin as you can get on this planet. Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6SuiMCY5UbMdGLmhNyomcF

Friend of Ireland Dan Downes comes from Dingle, Co. Kerry and is a Duty Manager at Póg Mahones Irish Pub in Queenstown. "I grew up in Kerry, moved to NZ during covid times and found myself living in Queenstown. I spend my free time making the most of the outdoors and everything else Queenstown has to offer! Dan will represent Co Kerry before the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. The crew will have representatives from all 32 counties present before the hurling. Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Ireland shock England with T20 Cricket World Cup victory in Melbourne. Ireland's fine form at the T20 World Cup has continued in Melbourne with a dramatic rain-affected victory over England at the MCG. 💪💪💪 "It’s surreal, an absolutely surreal feeling. It happened too quickly to take in what we have just achieved," said Captain Andy Balbirnie, who was player of the match.

Friends of Ireland from IBNNZ will gather in Auckland this evening to discuss the future of the office with guests from JLL NZ including Gavin Read as its new Head of Research. Learn more about this event here https://www.ibnnz.com/events

Hailing from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, after extensive travel Neal McAloon settled in Tahuna, Aotearoa eleven years ago. First coming to New Zealand to spend some time in the Southern Alps, Neal runs Mountaineering and Avalanche education for various organisations including NZAC & Land Search & Rescue New Zealand Neal started the impact enterprise Bee the Change NZ using the honey bee as a medium for environmental education and he is an apiculture lecturer for Otago Polytechnic. In his 'spare' time he volunteers for the local ZQN Alpine Cliff Rescue team and the Queenstown Harvest Community Gardens leadership team. He lives in Tahuna with his wife Jenny and their 4-year-old son Naoise. Neal will represent Co Fermanagh at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties. Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Ireland knock two-time champions West Indies out of T20 World Cup 2022, reach Super 12 stage. West Indies, the only team to win T20 World Cup twice, were knocked out of the current edition of the tournament after losing their final Group B qualification match against Ireland by 9 wickets in Hobart on Friday. ☘️

Friend of Ireland Phillip Kelly, comes from Coolock, Dublin and lives in Queenstown. He's lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for 10 years and works as a GIB Stopper. Philip married an English girl at the Trelawn Place venue just before the first Covid 19 lockdown which left a number of guests with an extended holiday here. Philip and his wife have just adopted a dog called Woody. Philip will represent Dublin at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for January 28th 2023. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties. Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Hosted by journalist, author and broadcaster Philip O'Connor, The Global Gael is a brand new podcast which features stories of Irish people abroad. "There’s no such thing as an “ordinary” Irish person abroad. Everyone has a story. Everyone ends up where they are for a reason. Some of these people have some things in common. Some are entirely unique. Some have been abroad for decades. Some spend a large part of their life on the road. Some were born in Ireland, while others were born abroad. All of them carry their Irishness with them, everywhere they go. All of their stories are worth telling. And you’ll hear them on the Global Gael podcast. The podcast is looking to feature one of our own Friends of Ireland community in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We're seeking suggestions?. Listen here https://open.spotify.com/episode/5C5erQXoIfeFLtBawVX5mh...

Friends of Ireland at Christchurch Irish Society are gearing up to celebrate 75 years and are marking this landmark by building one, a memorial garden. With help from their friends at Emerald Landscapes the team got into it yesterday. Their next working bee is scheduled for Saturday 29th October so grab your shovel and get involved. 🔨⛏🪚🧹

Sean Kelly MEP (former GAA President) visited Wellington with a European Parliament delegation in September to discuss the implementation of the EU-NZ FTA. Hosted by EU Ambassador Nina Obermaier, the delegation met with Minister Nania Mahuta and a range of key political & business contacts’ MEP (former GAA President) visited Wellington with a European Parliament delegation to discuss the implementation of the EU-NZ FTA. Hosted by EU Ambassador Nina Obermaier, the delegation met with Minister Nania Mahuta and a range of key political & business contacts. ☘️

Karen Manning (pictured right), national coordinator of The Tara Trust, Friends of Ireland welcomed H.E Jane Connolly Ambassador of Ireland to New Zealand (pictured left) to Christchurch last week to discuss our project plan for the coming twelve months and how we can further support the work of the Embassy of Ireland New Zealand. ☘️

Friends of Ireland in Wellington will gather at Wellington waterfront this evening, Wednesday 12th between 5:15pm and 5:45pm to remember those who tragically lost their lives in the horrific explosion that occurred in Creeslough, Co Donegal last Friday. All are welcome to attend.

Wellington/Hutt Valley GFHA New Zealand women's footballers created history in Melbourne on Saturday 1 October when they won the Australasian State Games intermediate tournament, defeating South Australia 8-9 (33) to 3-11 (20) in a cracking final. Read more, https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz

Friend of Ireland Joe O’Heaghra hails from Ballykelly, Co Derry. Joe is a polished concrete floor specialist. He is currently living in Fernando de Noronha, an island off the north east coast of Brazil. He has been living and working there since the end of April 2022 however plans to return to New Zealand at the start of 2023. He will represent Co Derry at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for February 25th 2023. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties and the quest is on to find the missing county of Kildare Fermanagh. Over the coming months, Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Friend of Ireland Linda Hodgkinson hails from Bandon, Co. Cork. Linda has lived in Aotearoa for nearly nine years and is now a New Zealand citizen. She works as a pre-school teacher in the Queenstown region and has a very busy toddler with a strong Irish name, Cillian. She has also been involved in promoting gaelic games in Queenstown and volunteered to be the first chairperson of the Queenstown Gaels. She will represent Co Cork at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for February 25th 2023. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties and the quest is on to find the missing county of Fermanagh. Over the coming months, Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives.

Friend of Ireland Emmet McCarthy hails from Ennis. He lives in Queenstown and has been in Aotearoa New Zealand for 17 years. Emmet works as a carpenter and spends his free time exploring the mountains and lakes of NZ with his kiwi wife! He will represent Co Clare at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for February 25th 2023. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties and the quest is on to find the missing county of Fermanagh. Over the coming months, Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Friend of Ireland Daniel Doyle hails from Saint Mullins and will represent County Carlow at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for February 25th 2023. Daniel has been in Aoteaora New Zealand for 7 years and lives on the Kāpiti Coast. He works as a Construction Project Manager. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties and the quest is on to find the missing counties of Cavan, Fermanagh and Rosscommon so tag a mate, male or female who could fill those spots. Over the coming months, Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Friend of Ireland JP Hudson hails from the village of Poyntzpass and will represent County Armagh at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for February 25th 2023. JP has lived in Aotearoa, New Zealand for eleven years and owns Hudson Builders Wanaka. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties and the quest is on to find the missing counties of Cavan, Fermanagh and Roscommon so tag a mate, male or female who could fill those spots. Over the coming months, Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Friend of Ireland Vincent Walsh hails from West Belfast and will represent County Antrim at the Queenstown V Christchurch hurling game scheduled for February 25th 2023. Vincent has lived in Aotearoa, New Zealand for four years, working full time as a HR manager and also as a part time gymnastics coach. The crew are planning to have representatives from all 32 counties and the quest is on to find the missing counties of Cavan, Clare, Fermanagh, Laois, Louth and Roscommon so tag a mate, male or female who could fill those spots. Over the coming months, Friends of Ireland will be profiling all the county representatives. ☘️

Friends of Ireland at Scoil Rince Ni Ghabhann Irish Dance are holding a Céili Fundraiser on Friday 2nd September at the Knox Christian Centre, Hamilton. A great opportunity for our community to support Irish Dance in Aotearoa, New Zealand. ☘️☘️

Pictured last night at Auckland Writers Festival. As a gift to Aotearoa New Zealand, the Embassy of Ireland New Zealand commissioned Brian Friel’s play Translations to be translated into te reo Māori by Hēmi Kelly. This play which tells the story of language, identity, history and cultural imperialism is the first masterpiece of Irish literature to be translated into te reo Māori. ☘️☘️

On this day, August 1922 On August 22, 1922, 18-year-old Agnes Hurley from Bandon captured this image using an old Brownie camera featuring Michaels Collins, "The Big Fella'. His convoy would be ambushed about 30 mins later near Béal na Bláth by anti-treaty IRA forces. The 'Irregulars' in the laneway opened fire with rifles on the convoy. Emmet Dalton, the Free State commander for the county, ordered the driver of the touring car to 'drive like hell', but Collins said 'no, stop and we'll fight 'em'. He then jumped from the vehicle along with the others. At first the group took cover behind a low grass bank bordering the road, but Collins then jumped up and ran back along the road to begin firing with his Lee Enfield rifle from behind the armoured car. The Vickers machine gun in that car had also been firing at the attackers but then stopped because a badly loaded ammunition belt caused it to jam. Apparently, to get a better view of the laneway up which he had seen the enemy running, Collins left the protection of the armoured car and moved even farther back around a bend in the road out of sight of his comrades. Now standing in the open, he fired a couple of shots and as he was once more working the bolt of his rifle he was struck in the head by a bullet believed to have been fired by one of the ambushing party – Denis "Sonny" O'Neill, a former British Army sniper. Collins was the only fatality sustained in the ambush, although another member of his party suffered a neck wound. After he was shot the fire from the ambushing party quickly fell off and they withdrew from the scene. Collins was found, face down, on the roadway. One of his men whispered an Act of Contrition into his ear, but Collins was clearly close to death if not already dead. He was lifted into the back of the touring car with his head resting against Dalton's shoulder. The convoy cleared the dray cart obstruction and resumed its journey to Cork.

Did you know an Irishman wrote New Zealand's national anthem? Although most of Thomas Bracken's poetry is forgotten now, New Zealanders continue to sing his verses at sporting events, state ceremonies and Waitangi day celebrations, God Defend New Zealand. Learn more https://tinyurl.com/nhrphvmr

The Irish-language movie An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) has been selected by the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) as Ireland's entry for the Best International Feature Film at next year's Academy Awards. Based on the short story Foster by Claire Keegan, An Cailín Ciúin stars newcomer Catherine Clinch as a young girl sent to live with relatives in rural Ireland in 1981, where she is welcomed with open arms. Now in NZ cinemas! ☘️☘️

Our friends at Auckland IRISH CLUB are hosting a very special kids movie & PJ night on Friday 5th August. The movie starts at 5pm. The little ones can come dressed to chill out with PJs, a pillow or bean bags. Movie starts at 5pm and the bistro open from 4.30pm. 🍿🍿☘️ (Adult kids allowed too)

History made, we've done it! An admirable fight back in the second half by the All Black but Ireland were just too strong. ☘️☘️ ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby.

Four down, one to go! Still time to enter our competition, ☘️☘️ ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby.

Following a historic victory in Dunedin for Ireland, the countdown to Test 3 begins and the green army moves to Wellington. Pictured are the Lavery & McDonald families, originally from Antrim & Tyrone. ☘️☘️ ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby.

History for Ireland as they win against the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time. The result sets up an epic final test match next weekend. ☘️☘️ ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby.

Friends of Ireland Celine and Margaret from the University of Otago, gunning for green on Sat!! Don't forget, subscribe to enter our competition here, ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby.

Friends of Ireland Ciaran, Robbie, Sara & Issy Farmer from Christchurch showing some passion for the Green & Black. ❤️ Don't forget, subscribe to enter our competition here, ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby.

Friends of Ireland in Wairarapa are in for a treat on Friday July 15 at 6 PM when Bridget Douglas (flute) and Michelle Velvin (harp) present a concert in the historic ANZAC Hall, Featherston. Bridget is the principal flute player of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Michelle performs regularly with NZSO and teaches at the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī, Victoria University of Wellington. Learn more, https://mulledwineconcerts.com/featherston.php

GAME DAY. Friends of Ireland Padraig O'Faolain is flying the flag and keeping it lit for Mayo 2023 in KeriKeri. ☘️ #TeamOfUs #nztour2022 https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby

Forever in our hearts 💚. Ireland captain Bundee Aki lays down a jersey in memory of Sean Wainui, ahead of Ireland's match against the Maori All Blacks.

Friends of Ireland Ruaidhri de Faoite, Kate Danaher, Mark Armstrong, Sadie, Elaine Farrell flying the flag in Queenstown . The Embassy of Ireland New Zealand and Friends of Ireland have a bundle of Irish rugby goodies to give away. Simply subscribe to the Friends of Ireland & Embassy of Ireland newsletters here https://www.friendsofireland.co.nz/rugby to be in to win. #TeamOfUs #NZTour2022