The Irish Arts Center will honor three distinguished young professionals, invested in promoting and preserving the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and Irish America, at its annual Show Your Love event, on Friday, February 22nd.

This year’s honorees include Dubliner Aisling Garvey, Senior Vice President of Teneo Strategy; Jason O’Brien, Proprietor of Dublin 6, Trinity Place and The Bailey Pub & Brasserie; and Patrick Tully, the New York Director & National Director of the Young Leaders at The American Ireland Fund.

“Looking back over the course of the last year, these three people are the ones who always say yes. They go above and beyond and have been so supportive of our efforts,” Pauline Turley, Vice Chair of the Irish Arts Center, told IrishCentral.

“The American Ireland Fund exemplifies what it is to be Irish American and Pat Tully does so much great work for charity.

“Aisling and Jason, who were both raised in Dublin, are real leaders in terms of giving back,” Turley added.

The third annual event will take place at the Park Avenue premises of Mutual of America on Friday February 22nd.

A fun evening of chocolates and champagne, the event is a platform  for Irish Arts Center's young patrons to meet and network and show their love for the center while honoring Irish and Irish American cultural leaders.

Turley, added: "I am blown away by the level of enthusiasm and support for Irish arts and culture in this city and our annual Show Your Love party is a fun and memorable way to kick off the Spring season."

Show Your Love Event Details
6.30-pm - 8.30pm | Friday February 22nd, 2013
Mutual of America, 320 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Tickets start at $125. Booking on irishartscenter.org or 866-811-4111

Profiles of the 2013 honorees:

Aisling Garvey

Aisling Garvey is a Senior Vice President in the Washington D.C. office of Teneo Strategy.

Teneo works as a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most respected companies, non-profit institutions and governments to design and execute strategies to achieve critical business objectives, protect and enhance reputation, navigate legal, political and regulatory challenges successfully and enhance value.

Prior to joining Teneo, Aisling spent over a decade working with the world's largest business communications consultancy, Financial Dynamics (FD), in Europe and North America, most recently serving as Senior Vice President in the firm's Corporate Communications Practice in New York.

Aisling has wide-ranging experience devising and implementing multi-tiered corporate strategy, government relations and crisis and issues communications strategies for multinational corporations, indigenous companies and non-profit organization, across a broad range of industry sectors. She has extensive experience working with clients across multiple markets. Before moving to New York, Aisling served as a director and board member of FD's operations in Ireland.

Aisling is also a member of the Ireland Funds Young Leaders and holds a position on the Committee for Concern Worldwide’s Annual Winter Ball. Aisling holds a M.A. in Public Relations and a B.A. in Accounting and HRM. In 2007, she was the recipient of Ireland's Public Relations Consultants Association Excellence Award for Corporate Communications Campaign of the Year.

Jason O'Brien

Jason’s resume encompasses various operating and management positions in bars and restaurants in Ireland, Australia and the famed steakhouse Smith and Wollensky’s in NYC.

Jason moved to NYC in 1997 and having built experience in the industry, partnered with Katie Connelly who has worked in the hospitality industry for 19 years, to open Dublin 6 (formerly Papillon) in the West Village, a popular bar amongst the locals which received a two star review from the new York Times. Their success grew with the opening of Trinity place in 2006 and their latest venture, The Bailey Pub & Brasserie just off Wall Street, which is known for its lively hustle and bustle of Wall-Streeters throughout the day and in which a magnificent porcelain Bull stands proud on a raised platform shadowing the 65ft bar.

Patrick J. Tully

Patrick Tully is the New York Director and National Director of The Young Leaders of The American Ireland Fund. He is also a professional Auctioneer and since 2001 has worked with hundreds of charities, helping them raise millions of dollars around the world with his auction service. Tully has also been the auctioneer for many celebrity foundation events, including: Russell Simmons Art For Life and the Diamond Empowerment Fund, Petra Nemcova's Happy Hearts Fund and The Jorge Posada Foundation, just to name a few.

Prior to joining The American Ireland Fund on a professional level, Tully was the President of Pat Tully Inc. a marketing and public relations firm specializing in building personal brands for professional athletes and bold face personalities.

Tully was the 2008 American Ireland Fund Young Leader of the Year and was named to the Irish Echo’s “40 under 40” list in 2010.  His Irish roots hail from Counties Cavan, Meath and Tipperary. He is an active board member of Jeremy’s Heroes www.jeremysheroes.org, and the Kate Shea Foundation www.katesheafoundation.org and he loves the Irish Arts Center.  Tully holds a B.A. in Communications and Public Relations from Marist College.