Over 450 guests are expected to gather on Tuesday, November 7 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago to raise support for the work of The Ireland Funds while honoring Abbott with The Ireland Funds Corporate Responsibility Award. Robert B. Ford, Chairman and CEO of Abbott, will accept the award on behalf of Abbott. Matt Moore of Chicago Cut Steakhouse will receive The Ireland Funds Leadership Award.
The Chicago Dinner is one of the largest of The Ireland Funds’ numerous international events. The 2023 Chicago Dinner will be co-chaired by Michael D. O’Halleran of Ryan Specialty Group; Thomas F. Meagher, Jr. of GCM Grosvenor; and Devon C. Bruce of Power Rogers, LLP. The evening will be a gathering of The Ireland Funds supporters from around the country in addition to notable Chicago leaders from the areas of business, politics, philanthropy and the arts.
Since 1946, Abbott in Ireland has been dedicated to helping people live healthier lives through a diverse range of science-based nutritional products, diagnostic tools and medical devices. Abbott advances health and wellness in Ireland by developing the highest-quality products and finding lasting solutions to the unique health challenges across the region. It is committed to developing locally manufactured healthcare solutions designed specifically for this market—from manufacturing nutritional products that give babies a strong start to creating diagnostic tools to help physicians guide treatment decisions for their patients. Most recently, Abbott broke ground on a new global manufacturing center in Kilkenny to produce its life-changing FreeStyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitoring portfolio. Abbott was one of the first multinational companies to establish in Ireland and is the only one with operations in all four provinces. This new investment in Kilkenny will bring Abbott’s total employment in the country to approximately 6,000 people across 10 sites, including seven manufacturing operations.
Matt Moore has more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry in his native Ireland as well as England and the United States. Significantly he has helped to helm some of the most established steakhouses in Chicago including Smith & Wollensky and Rosebud Prime. More recently Matt established Chicago Cut Steakhouse with his business partner David Flom. Chicago Cut is now the premier steakhouse in Chicago and a valuable employer in the hospitality sector, including a large number of J1 Irish students every summer. For Matt, hospitality is in his DNA, for more than a century his family has owned and operated Mannions Bar in Balla, County Mayo. Matt is a long standing and committed supporter of The Ireland Funds, as well as other many other charitable organizations in Chicago and Ireland.
Aine Mallaghan, The Ireland Funds Vice President of Development, Midwest, said, "For almost 40 years The Ireland Funds Chicago Dinner has gathered our friends and supporters together to give back and celebrate the special bond between Chicago and Ireland. This year, it is an opportunity to recognize those who have made an impact for Ireland on both corporate and personal levels. Abbott and Matt Moore are great examples of what care and strategic investment can accomplish for those in need. We are delighted to honor them, their deep ties to Ireland, and to highlight The Ireland Funds' support of hundreds of nonprofit organizations working in communities across the island of Ireland."
Guests at this year’s dinner will also be treated to a very special performance by Tolü Makay. Tol Makay's musical career has gone from strength to strength since she first emerged onto the Irish music scene, and she was named in the Irish Times list of ‘’50 People To Watch For’’ in 2022. Born in Nigeria and raised in Ireland, Tolü cut her teeth singing in church groups – and winning a national gospel competition – and has steadily grown into an artist with her own vision, selling out gigs all over Ireland, performing in Washington DC and New York and racking up hundreds of thousands of streams on music platforms and YouTube.
The Ireland Funds is one of the largest private grant makers to the nonprofit sector in Ireland. Recent initiatives have ensured that critical and timely funding to a wide range of not-for-profit organizations across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is delivered. Most recently, the organization's Heart of the Community Fund delivered $1 million to 94 nonprofit groups in 24 counties on the island. This year, in keeping with the event’s tradition of supporting work not only across the island of Ireland but in the local community, a grant from the event's proceeds will also be made to support the work of the Mother Jones project in Chicago.
The Ireland Funds is a global philanthropic network. Established in 1976, The Ireland Funds’ mission is to harness the power of a global network of friends of Ireland to promote and support peace, culture, education, and community development throughout the island of Ireland, and among Irish communities around the world. With chapters in 12 countries, The Ireland Funds has provided support to more than 3,200 deserving organizations across the globe.
For more information on The Ireland Funds' work and the 2023 Chicago Dinner, contact Aine Mallaghan, VP of Development Midwest at 312-659-1995 or
