Podcasts about ireland fund

What can a mother say to the cold-blooded executioner of her son? In American Mother, the heartrending story of the murdered American journalist Jim Foley, the writer Colum McCann and Diane Foley, Foley's mother and founder of the Foley Foundation, explore this terrible dilemma. This memorable conversation with Foley and McCann explores forgiveness, faith, and the moral complexities of justice. Most of all, though, it's the conversation about a mother's remarkable love for her dead son which she maintains and even redirects to his ISIS killer.Here are the five KEEN ON takeaways from our conversation with McCann and Foley:* The Power of Forgiveness: Diane Foley's ability to forgive Alexander Kotey, one of her son Jim's killers, demonstrates extraordinary grace. Her Christian faith played a crucial role in this process, though forgiveness wasn't easy or natural - it was a conscious choice that led to meaningful human connection even in the most difficult circumstances.* Policy Impact Through Tragedy: Jim Foley's death led to significant changes in U.S. hostage policy. The Foley Foundation's work has helped bring home nearly 150 Americans since 2015, and led to the creation of a formal government structure for handling hostage situations - a direct result of the Obama administration's initial failures and subsequent reforms.* The Complexity of Justice: The case highlights nuanced views on justice and the death penalty. The Foleys advocated against the death penalty for their son's killers, arguing that life imprisonment offers a chance for reflection and potential redemption, while execution would simply perpetuate cycles of violence.* Grief's Individual Journey: Diane's experience shows how grief manifests differently for each person. While her other children needed distance from the situation to heal, she channeled her grief into activism and forgiveness. Her willingness to meet her son's killer was not shared by other family members.* The Value of Journalism: Jim Foley's story underscores the importance and dangers of conflict journalism. His commitment to telling stories of people yearning for freedom in the Middle East, even after being kidnapped once in Libya, reflects the crucial role journalists play in helping the world understand complex situations and human struggles.Diane M. Foley is President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which she created in September 2014 less than a month after the public beheading by ISIS in Syria of her son James W. Foley, an American freelance conflict journalist. In 2015, she led JWFLF efforts to fund the start of Hostage US and the International Alliance for a Culture of Safety, ACOS. She actively participated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review which culminated in the Presidential Policy Directive-30. This directive created the current US hostage enterprise consisting of an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and a White House Hostage Response Group to free innocent Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. JWFLF was instrumental in the passage of the Robert Levinson Hostage Taking and Accountability Act. She has been a tireless hostage, wrongful detainee and family advocate within the US hostage enterprise, Congress, and every presidential administration since 2014. She has raised awareness of international hostage-taking and wrongful detention using the award-winning documentary, “Jim, the James Foley story”, opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today and media interviews. Diane has spoken on the power of forgiveness in various faith communities and was included in 200 Women, edited by Geoff Blackwell. She co-authored the book “American Mother” which was published in 2024 with writer Colum McCann. Diane is also the author of a chapter called, “Life For A Voice: the Work of Journalist James W. Foley through the Eyes of his Family” in Living with Precariousness, edited by Christina Lee and Susan Leong, which was published in 2023.Previously, Diane worked as a community health nurse and as a family nurse practitioner for 18 years. She received both her undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of New Hampshire. She is active in her Roman Catholic parish of St Katherine Drexel in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where she lives with her husband, Dr. John W. Foley. She is the mother of five children.Colum McCann is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic. His newest novel, Apeirogon, will appear in 2020. It has already been acclaimed as a "transformative novel" (Raja Shehadeh). He is also the author of Zoli, Dancer, This Side of Brightness, and Songdogs, as well as three critically acclaimed story collections. His fiction has been published in more than forty languages. As well as a National Book Award winner, Colum has been a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and was the inaugural winner of the Ireland Fund of Monaco Literary Award in Memory of Princess Grace. He has been named one of Esquire's "Best and Brightest," and his short film Everything in This Country Must was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. A contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Paris Review, he teaches in the Hunter College MFA Creative Writing Program. He lives in New York City with his wife and their three children.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting the daily KEEN ON show, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy interview series. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

I would still encourage people to download the episodes and to share them with friends and family. Downloads are the easiest indicator for me to gauge how many people I am reaching with these conversations so I would really appreciate it. Robert arrived in Toronto in 1979 not knowing how life would pan out for him. With a degree in Archaeology and Greek and Roman Civilization from UCD, he could scarcely have imagined that he would find and become President of his own insurance firm; Kearns Insurance Corporation. What drew me to Robert was his incessant work with the Irish community in Toronto, especially the Ireland Fund of Canada from 1980-2004, serving as its Chair from 1989-1992. Along with being a Director of the America Ireland Fund, he is also a Founding Director of the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce and remains a member to this day. In terms of my own work at the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto, Robert  served as Chairman of the Campaign for Celtic Studies and is an Honorary Fellow of the university. At the moment, Robert is the Chair and founder of the  Canada Ireland Foundation, which created Ireland Park and Grasett Park in Toronto, and is now in the midst of developing The Corleck, a new arts, culture and heritage venue set to open soon on Toronto's waterfront. 

Today, I'll be chatting with Paul Farrelly. Born and raised in Meath, Paul has been in Toronto since 1972. Paul is a frequent visitor to my office at the University of St. Michael's College and we were having so many great chats about his life here in Toronto that it only made sense to record at least one of our conversations. Paul talks about how the Irish arts scene in Toronto made it feel easy for him to settle in Canada. In particular, he has worked with the Irish Arts Council and the Toronto Irish Players. For almost ten years, Paul served as the Executive Director for the Ireland Fund of Canada and he provides an interesting insight into his work here as well.

Tom McCormack loves sport. From rugby to American football and beyond. Tom got into the sport following a trip to Florida in the late 70s, was involved with the Dublin Celts in the 80s, remembers watching live games in the US Embassy when week old highlights packages were all that were available. He's a passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fan, was at the game in Croke Park in 1997 and worked with Dan M Rooney in developing the Ireland Fund. He's recently taken up the role of Chief Communications Officer with American Football Ireland and lays out the details of an exciting summer ahead. You can find Tom on Twitter: @tommymcc321

Donna Dooher and Kevin Gallagher are second and third generation Northern-Irish-Canadians who first burst onto the hospitality scene by introducing the phenomena of brunch to Toronto through their restaurant Mildred Pierce before publishing the award-winning cookbook Out To Brunch.   Driven by her passion for food, Donna went on to star in the popular Food Network show The Cookworks with Donna Dooher which has been watched by foodie fans all over the world. Alongside working in the business, Kevin has also served on the Board of Directors for the Ireland Fund of Canada and was instrumental in securing funds for building Ireland Park Canada and fundraising efforts for the Celtic Studies program at St. Michael’s College.   Their latest venture, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in the heart of Toronto’s Liberty Village, reflects their passion for 'the return to the table' and locally sourced ingredients, simply and sumptuously prepared. Throughout the pandemic, Kevin has also written Diary Of A Restaurant which his musings and learnings of years spent in the hospitality industry.   In today's episode we talk about: Their early memories & experiences How they scaled a brunch community from 15 people on a Sunday to 500+ per week The cultish following around their Blueberry pancakes And the greatest challenges/successes they've experienced along the way   Check it out. // To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Kevin and Donna (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/donna-doher-kevin-gallagher   Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 180+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.   To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/   Cheers!   — Matt 

The lads are back in studio together and dolled up for the Ireland Fund day at the Races

Rob Mc Donnell calls in to tell the lads about the Chamber President's upcoming dinner Eithne Heffernan gives the boys a ring to chat about the Ireland Fund day at the Races - Dust off yer hat

Eithne Heffernan joins Ken in studio to chat about the Ireland Fund day at The Races Mark calls in from Collingwood

In this episode, Kathy Sheridan talks to women and organisations who have benefited from the Mná na hÉireann Women of Ireland fund which was set up to increase the economic mobility of women across the country. We also mark the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by talking to one survivor of the illness who now volunteers educating women and girls in how to detect early signs of the illness. Ger Collins (46), tells Róisín Ingle how she was so grateful for the help she received, following a diagnosis of breast cancer, she is now sharing her experiences with teachers and transition-year students with Breast Cancer Ireland. We also have details of a competition to win a great hamper to celebrate the launch of Family Unplugged by Peter Cosgrove. Listen for more details.

I speak to the director of the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith Seamus McGarry about the late Sir Terry Wogan whom he knew personally. They served together on the board of the Ireland Fund of Great Britain. We talk about Terry's charity work, his love for Ireland and how he was an inspiration for Irish people living in Britain given his wild success and his shining example during the Troubles. What's the Craic is a weekly Irish radio show that broadcasts on Brighton's Radio Reverb on 97.2FM, DAB and online at radioreverb.com. You can hear it live Mondays at 8pm or catch the repeat on Tuesdays at 3pm or Saturdays at 1am GMT. You can follow us on Twitter at @whatsthecraicrr or on facebook.com/whatsthecraicrr for up to date news on whats coming up on the show and to get in touch with us. #Brighton #Hove #Sussex #Irish #podcast #news #TerryWogan #culture #broadcasting #radio #TV #tribute