Virginia Coyne Brett, president of the Philadelphia Galway Society, presents the 2008 Person of the Year Award to Drew Monaghan.
By Kathy McGee Burns
The Galway Society Dinner Dance was held on a Saturday evening, May 10. I have been to many of these events but this night there was something different. This night had a magical feel to it, so much so that I wanted to capture that feeling and put it to words.
I’ve been to County Galway many times. It is one of my favorite places in Ireland. Each county has its own flavor, but I think Galway has a little of all the flavors of Ireland. I think that’s why it’s known as Ireland’s cultural heart. It’s the home of Kylemore Abbey, The Twelve Bens, and Connemara. It is Joyce country and through it runs the Corrib, the largest lake in the republic. When Galwegians (as people from Galway are known) immigrated to America, most of them went to Boston, but Philadelphia was lucky enough to get some of the special ones.
The Galway Society, in the Philadelphia area, was started 99 years ago. It welcomed the newly arrived and helped to ease the pain of leaving home. The members reached out to aid in employment and it became a social center, a place not unlike home.
My story starts with John Egan. He was from Head Ford, the youngest of seven children, unmarried and with nothing happening at home. He arrived in Philadelphia in 1955. His brother, Pat, immediately introduced him to the Galway Society and the Irish Center. He joined a month later. The Society was never very large, not like Donegal or Mayo. There was a core group, “the glue that kept it together:” the Egans, Jack Gilmore, Billy Brennan, and Dan Raftery. In the last fifty years, membership dwindled, kept alive by very few families.
Now, suddenly, it has had a resurgence. It has become a force with a new direction. The ingredient added was the Coyne Family. Jim and Ginny entered the Galway Society with determination, loyalty, and resources. Those resources were friends, and family…lots of family. The dye was now cast.
One of those friends was Drew Monaghan. Drew and his wife, Mary Lynn, had been attending the dinner dances with the Coynes for quite a while and Jim was able to twist Drew’s arm into following him as President. Drew became that shot of youth and new vision.
Drew said they encouraged their small membership to talk up the Society. They first went to their families and when they showed interest, they approached their friends. He said that at first, the younger people were taken aback by “all that gray hair”. Drew, in his wisdom, decided to let the young people make some decisions. His advice was, “If you don’t like it, make it in your own image….but you can’t chase the elders away”
Under Drew’s tutelage there was been a resurgence of young members. They turn ran the dinner dance, dressed up the Society window, and produced a lovely dance booklet. Drew Monaghan was named “Person of the Year, 2008,” an honor bestowed on him for service to the Society.
Drew passed the baton to Virginia Brett (Jim Coyne’s daughter) who is the new president and I believe only the second woman ever to hold that title. Virginia, a four-year member, also attended those dances, mainly as an obligation to Mom and Dad, but later really enjoying them.
She’s now “dragging” her kids. Brendan Brett, age 21, is the newest and youngest member who has taken to all things Irish. Drew Monaghan said that Virginia represents a real visible change in the Galway Society.
Virginia’s goal is to look for meaningful activities for the Society to pursue, things that will help their own members in difficult times and always make things fun.
So, what are some of these innovated changes?
The officers of the Society are spread over generations. There’s a 50-year span of ages among the board of directors. Two young women, Eileen Brett and Kathleen Sweeney, will be Co- Chair of Galway’s 100th Annual Dinner Dance.
And speaking of Eileen Brett, she’s one of the newer links in those 100 years. She is an upbeat young woman with a clear vision. She also was involved with this year’s dance. She was very nervous the morning of the affair. She had set the bar high and wanted to show them (the elders) what the young set could do and that they could have faith for the future. Eileen also says that none of them could have done it without John Egan who sold the most tickets and ads. Therein lies the success of that generational span. The glue is still intact. Eileen Brett is still basking in the glow of that special night.
That’s what I felt! All the energy, devotion, respect and aspirations of the Galway people came together that night in May. The struggle to fill the hall was abated. The room was packed. The young and the old mingled. We all felt that special magic. I just know there will be another 100 years for the Galway Society.