New York Governor Eliot Spitzer Joins the US-Ireland Alliance and Quinlan Private at New York Reception

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New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was the guest of honor at a US-Ireland Alliance event hosted by Quinlan Private’s Manhattan office last night.

Quinlan Private founder Derek Quinlan welcomed guests and introduced Cliff Sloan, the publisher of Slate, who introduced the Governor. Mr. Sloan, whose wife Mary Lou Hartman is the Director of the Alliance’s George J. Mitchell Scholarship program, has been a close friend of the Governor since they were Harvard Law School classmates.

Recognizing Senator Mitchell who was present, Governor Spitzer hailed his example of public service and noted that his work on the Belfast Agreement ten years ago ultimately resulted in the recent agreement by Sinn Fein and the DUP to share power in Northern Ireland. He also lauded the Alliance on the important work it is doing to strengthen ties between the US and Ireland for future generations. He also noted the strong economic ties between New York and Ireland and congratulated Quinlan Private and Derek Quinlan on their philanthropic support of the Alliance.

The guest list again demonstrated the Alliance’s success at reaching well beyond the usual suspects in the Irish community. Alliance President Trina Vargo, who has long advocated expanding how ‘Irish America’ is defined, explained that, “With fewer and fewer Irish moving to the US, it is important that we involve a broader spectrum of Americans in this relationship.” Joining Governor Spitzer and Senator Mitchell at the reception were Mitchell Scholar alums working in New York, presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden and leaders from an elite group of New York financial institutions.

Quinlan Private recently opened a New York office to work with high net worth individuals, endowments and foundations wishing to invest in the European real estate market. Quinlan Private and Mr. Quinlan are generous supporters of the Alliance. It was announced last month that the Irish Government would provide matching funds as the Alliance seeks to build a $40 million endowment that will permanently fund the Mitchell Scholarship program. Derek Quinlan quickly made a million dollar commitment to the endowment and personally committed himself to helping raise $20 million from the private sector.

Peter Vanderslice, lead partner of Quinlan Private in North America, noted that the interests of Quinlan Private and the US-Ireland Alliance are aligned: “By connecting current and future global leaders, events like these fuel economic development domestically and internationally.”