From our first meeting, it was agreed that the Society would have three main functions: Firstly, to provide a social and support network for the Irish living in Riyadh and, in particular, newly arrived Irish; secondly, through our activities and the generosity of our members and sponsors, the Society would support a number of charities at home as well as here in Riyadh; and, lastly, in order to promote our Irish culture and heritage we would provide a number of cultural events which are held throughout the year under the auspices of the Irish Embassy.
While the connection between Saudi Arabia and Ireland goes back many years, for newly arrived Irish people life in Riyadh can initially be quite a culture shock. Therefore, through our activities, the Society provides a mechanism for new Irish arrivals to make contact with fellow Irish men and women, which in turn helps them to acclimatize to their new environment.
The Irish are known throughout the world for their very generous nature when it comes to supporting charitable organizations and causes: here in Riyadh, that is no different. It is truly amazing to see how generous people are and, over the years of the Society’s existence, its members have generously supported a number of organizations — both at home in Ireland and here in Riyadh.
Our very first donation was to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and helped to provide educational materials and furniture for a number of units in the hospital. The Irish Red Cross in Dublin, the Downs Syndrome Charitable Association here in Riyadh, ICING (the International Children in Need Group), the British International School and the Gaelic Athletic Association. A number of our members have also taken part in various sponsored events with the support of the Society and its members.
To help us achieve our goal of promoting our Irish culture and heritage, the Society with the help and support of the Irish Embassy and a number of sponsors including British Midland International, Al Marai, Al Hokair and Tamimi, has brought a number of world-renowned Irish artists out to Riyadh to entertain our members. These artists have included Eleanor Shanley and her band, Brian Kennedy, Grúpa Cúchulainn, a group of Irish musicians and dancers from the Lord of the Dance show and, this year, we had Sharon Shannon and her band. We have also had a number of events showcasing our national sports of hurling and Gaelic football, with screenings of the All-Ireland Finals being shown for the members.
Without our members, there would be no Society. When we first started, the membership was made up of all nationalities but over the years — as more and more Irish have come back to Riyadh – this has changed and now our membership is predominantly Irish. However, we still have some non-Irish members, most of whom have been with us from the very beginning; all help to make our events very enjoyable and memorable.
The Society is also very lucky to have ongoing support from the Irish Embassy and our current ambassador, Niall Holohan.
It has been a privilege to be involved with the Riyadh Irish Society from the beginning and as its current chairperson I sincerely thank all who have served on the committee over the years. The committee at present has 12 members who work in various hospitals and organizations throughout Riyadh and it is down to the hard work and dedication of this group of people that the Riyadh Irish Society is still as strong and successful as it was when it first started.
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