When we first moved to Dublin I never thought about having American friends here as I had them back home. But through a chance encounter I got involved in the American Women’s Club of Dublin and am eternally grateful.

Having recently celebrated their 40th anniversary (for which I baked this cool cake that combines the US + Ireland vibe) this group of formidable ladies has raised hundreds of thousands of euros for various Irish charities. It is their way of giving back to their adopted country.

Most of the women in the club are in Dublin because either their husbands are Irish or they are Americans working in the country’s capital. So they are looking for a bit of socializing and a connection back to their red, white and blue home! But my situation was a bit unique as an Irish dual citizen. And even if we might never have met back in the U. S. due to geography, age, or interest, somehow we were on equal ground.  Relative outsiders (or “blow ins” as the Irish like to say) just passing through. However, never the same once we had spent any amount of time in this welcoming and generous Emerald Isle!

I will soon be joining the sister club in London my current home, but will always have special memories of the time I was on the board of the club as the philanthropic chairperson. In the midst of a recession we raised over 22,000 euro for the I.S.P.C.C (the Irish Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children). Through sheer hard work on behalf of my fundraising committee and the club members, and  my own desire as a survivor of child abuse to help children in need, we have made a difference.

Many of these club members have now moved back to America or to other parts of the globe. But they have left a piece of themselves here in Ireland and indeed in my heart. And speaking of pieces, do you wish you could have a piece of this?

In friendship,

YDP