Tis the Season to be Jolly

Dear Circle of Friends,

I hope this note finds you all well and enjoying the hustle and bustle of December. Yes it is the season of festivities but it is also a time to reflect and give thanks.

I must thank Tim Gleason for being an extraordinary 2019 Man of the Year. And thanks to Tim's friends and all our loyal friends, the 2019 Friendship Ball was a night to REMEMBER!! And as 2019 winds down, we are already well into planning for our 2020 Friendship Ball

So if you have not already done so,

SAVE THE DATE - MARCH 6, 2020 - Annual Friendship Ball -

once again at The Pierre, NYC

Please Meet Our 2020 Honorees

Patricia Houlihan

(Mary) Patricia Houlihan is a native New Yorker, born and raised in the Bronx, and currently living with her husband, Jim, in Bronxville, NY and Nantucket, MA. Pat is a proud mother and grandmother. She is devoted to her family and appreciates the need for strong familial ties to nurture and support the generations to come.

Her very successful professional career as a licensed realtor at Houlihan & O'Malley Real Estate Services, Inc. is made all the more satisfying by helping her clients, family and friends navigate the residential real estate market, finding the right homes to live in and become a part of their communities.

Her husband Jim, who is the managing partner of the highly regarded commercial real estate firm, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC.

Pat and Jim were instrumental in helping create the acclaimed “Great Hunger Memorial” in Westchester County, NY and have been involved and supported a variety of charitable organizations including Fordham University, Fairfield University, Fordham Prep and The Irish Repertory Theater and The Irish Arts Center.

But Pat is particularly proud of her involvement with the Pope Foundation’s support of those families with the heartache of childhood illness.

Desmond O’Brien

Desmond O’Brien hails from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, where he was raised on Solsboro, the farm that had been in his family for four generations. He attended the Cistercian Brothers boarding school in Roscrea, where he honed his skills and love of Hurling and Rugby, and Shannon College where he studied hotel and restaurant management.

Emigrating to the United States in 1982 he was determined to make his mark in the restaurant business in New York City. He began his career in classic Irish venues such as Willie’s, Eamonn Doran’s, and Tommy Makem’s Irish Pavilion. He was the manager behind the opening of the popular 1980’s night club The Baja. From there, he moved on to owning and opening some of Manhattan’s most endearing pubs and restaurants. In 1992 he met John Mahon and a partnership began that lasts to this day. Together they opened the New York classic Langan’s in Times Square.

Pat Burke, Robert Mahon, Eamonn Maher, Cormack McCormack and his brother, Chris O’Brien have joined the partnership and are the owners of O’Brien’s, Pig n’ Whistle in midtown, and Broadstone and Toro Loco in the Financial District.

Des has been a big supporter of the New York Rugby Club, as a player, an Old Boys member, and a sponsor. He is an ardent fan of the New York Rangers, Mets, Jets and loves golf - but topping that list of ardor are his three daughters Charlotte, Phoebe, Daisy and of course his wife, Amy. Today Des divides his time between New York City and Fairfield, CT.

Des has been a dedicated champion of the Frances Pope Foundation from our earliest years and for that support we are truly grateful.