Golden Bridges 2025

Alison has responsibility for leading Tourism Ireland’s Marketing Strategy and Operations in the US, Canada & Australia. In June 2017, Alison also assumed responsibility for Tourism Ireland’s operations in Australia/New Zealand. She also serves as Chair of the European Travel Commission (ETC), USA Chapter since 2017. ETC is the non-profit organisation responsible for the promotion of Destination Europe as the worldwide number one tourist destination in third markets.

Andrea Haughian is Executive Vice President and Head of Americas at Invest NI, Northern Ireland’s Economic Development Agency.

A recognized expert in Foreign Direct Investment, international trade, offshore development and global business expansion, Andrea Haughian has helped C-Level executives accelerate business growth, maximize profitability and facilitate recruitment, training and R&D.

Andrea’s experience spans a diverse range of sectors including creative and digital technology, financial services, legal and professional services, life and health sciences, green economy, manufacturing and global start-ups.

Andrea is proud to showcase the talents of home-grown companies and innovators and to enable entrepreneurs to make connections with advocates and influencers in challenging markets across the Americas.

Andrea is an advocate for the advancement of women and the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is a long-time supporter of Young Enterprise. 

Andrea received the Global Recognition Award at the Digital DNA Awards 2019. The Global Recognition Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact on Northern Ireland’s digital and technology sector on a global scale. In 2021 Andrea received the Tom Moran Business to Arts Leadership Award for her success in building successful partnerships between the business sector and arts communities. Andrea is a past Irish Echo Top 40 Under 40 Awards honouree, has been named as one of Irish America’s Most Influential Women by the Irish Voice and is a proud recipient of the Belfast International Homecoming Ambassador medal.

Andrea is based in New York, is a graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, has undertaken post-graduate programs in both San Francisco and Chicago and is a graduate of Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Programme.  

Drew O’Brien is a trusted communications advisor with deep experience counseling global corporate clients. Through decades of service in the public and private sectors, he has developed numerous specialties, including public affairs, crisis communications, strategic counsel, executive visibility and thought leadership.

With 30+ years of experience in government investigations and white-collar defense, Brian is a nationally recognized former federal prosecutor and high-profile trial attorney. His seasoned judgment and strategic counsel comes from years of experience in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in both Boston and San Diego.

As a federal prosecutor, Brian handled some of the most sensitive and complex government trials and investigations including economic crimes, RICO charges, healthcare fraud and abuse, public corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, mail and wire fraud, labor racketeering, union corruption, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations. He also achieved successful results in running major federal investigations in well-known, high-profile cases involving official misconduct, embezzlement, obstruction of justice, perjury, extortion, and homicide.

Brian’s background and extensive trial experience gives him a unique perspective and allows him to protect his clients’ interests by proactively identifying risks and providing an objective assessment of the severity of possible violations, as well as the likely response from government investigators and prosecutors. He helps clients develop and implement strategies to mitigate their exposure and damages to their reputations and businesses.

Cathal Conlon is in his eighteenth season with the New England Revolution and his seventh in his current position as Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement. Conlon oversees and directs all aspects of the Revolution’s marketing and community initiatives, including advertising, grassroots campaigns, promotional activities, fans’ in-stadium experience, charitable fundraising and the team’s overall branding efforts. He also serves as the primary point of contact for the team’s supporters groups, working with the organizations to increase membership and enhance the groups’ involvement with the club. 

Conlon joined the Revolution in 2006 and has served as an Account Executive on the ticketing staff, Customer Service/Inside Sales Manager and the Director of Marketing before being promoted to his current position. 

Conlon began his career in the golf industry, with positions at Brae Burn Country Club in Newton, Mass., Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club in Kenmare, Ireland and Warwick Country Club in Warwick, Rhode Island. 

Conlon volunteers his time supporting the Irish community in Boston. He served as the Chairman of Irish Network Boston for 7 years and has been a member of the group since 2010. He also serves as member of the advisory board for the Rian Immigrant Center and the Marketing Advisory Board for the Sawyer School at Suffolk University. 

A native of Ardee, Ireland, Conlon attended Liverpool John Moores University and earned a degree in sports science in 1999.  He and his wife, Noreen, and their children Oliver and Lilly live in Boston. 

Eugene O’Flaherty was appointed to the role of Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston in January 2014. In his role as Corporation Counsel, Eugene was the chief legal officer for former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, President Biden’s newly confirmed Secretary of Labor. Eugene served as a senior cabinet advisor to the Mayor of Boston and was responsible for providing high-quality and effective legal advice and representation on all legal matters involving the Mayor, Boston City Council, all City Departments and Boards & Commissions. In that role he managed an office of 60 Attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff. As a cabinet member, Eugene was also part of a mayoral administration whose work has resulted in the largest growth of development in Boston’s recent history.

Prior to his appointment, Eugene served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for seventeen years and has been practicing law since 1994. Elected to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1996, O’Flaherty served on the Education Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee before being appointed to serve as the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 2002.

During his twelve-year tenure at the helm of the Judiciary Committee, Eugene was responsible for the drafting, review and implementation of the largest number of legislative proposals before the Massachusetts Legislature. He was the chief architect of the overhaul of impaired driving statutes, court reorganization legislation, stronger sex offender statutes, tougher penalties for violent habitual offenders, CORI reform and human trafficking.  Eugene also repeatedly defeated attempts to reinstate the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In addition to his legislative duties, Eugene served as a member of the House Leadership Team for more than a decade and under three successive Speakers of the House and played a pivotal role in advising, advocating for and polling the 160-member House on a wide variety of legislative issues involving economic development, education, health care, gaming, and revenue.

Eugene oversaw the legislation and led the discussions required for the implementation of the Goodridge decision, which legalized gay marriage, making Massachusetts the first state in the United States of America to do so and served as the House of Representative’s lead negotiator on a number of complex and high-profile conference committee negotiations with the Senate and Executive Branch.

Eugene spearheaded the sister city agreement between Boston and Belfast, Northern Ireland which results in annual exchanges and visits by elected officials and members of the business community and organized the Friendship Four Hockey Tournament that annually brings four American university teams to compete in Belfast for the BelPot Trophy during the Thanksgiving holiday. The tournament has been acknowledged as crucial in continuing initiatives to support the peace process there.

Known affectionately in Massachusetts political circles simply as “Gene-O”, Eugene was honored for excellence in his efforts by the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Massachusetts Legal Assistance, Children’s Trust Fund, Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Rescue League to name a few.

Eugene is the youngest of five boys and the only member of his immediate family born in the United States. Eugene lives in Boston with his wife Patricia and their large extended families. Eugene is most proud of being a loving Uncle to his many nieces and nephews.

With more than 30 years of combined experience in local, county and state government, Gregory M. Hanley  brings a diversified background in business and charitable public service to his role as a third term Plymouth County Commissioner

A former Quincy City Councilor, Commissioner Hanley recently was employed as Administrator for the Town of Holbrook and is currently serving as Chairman of the  Quincy College Board of Governors. He formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Selectman in the Town of Pembroke , Mr Hanley has held a number of elected and  appointed positions for  the Commonwealth of MA, including the South Shore Work Investment Board and the Massachusetts Board of Examiners for Plumbers and Gasfitters. He is a member of the Plymouth Ancient Order of Hibernians Div #9 and a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus

A graduate of Norwich University, Gregory Hanley is the father of John Francis , KerriAnn, Erin Elizabeth, and Margaret Rose Hanley and resides in Plymouth, MA

John is an attorney and the Boston chair of the Boston Belfast Sister City Initiative. Since 2014 he has helped to develop relationships between the many cultural, educational, community, and business sectors of both cities. A native of Chelsea, MA, John is a graduate of The College of the Holy Cross and Suffolk University Law School. 

John Philip Foley (“John”) has been a Massachusetts lawyer for over 30-years.  For the past 25-years, John has been the principal attorney at Foley Law Offices, P.C., a downtown Boston law firm specializing in U.S. immigration law.

In that time, John has helped thousands of individuals enter the U.S. legally and he has been with them as they became Legal Residents or Green card holders first and later U.S. citizens.  

Even with a busy law practice, John has been active with a number of Irish and Irish-American organizations.  John was a member of the Board of Directors and General Counsel at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton, Massachusetts for nine (9) years.  In that time, John assisted with the development of a zip line ropes course on the Canton campus and brought professional rugby, musical groups and other entertainers to the ICC.

At the request of the Irish Consul General, John helped organize the committee that negotiated an agreement with the Massachusetts Resources Water Authority to cite and build the Great Hunger Memorial on Deer Island, where hundreds of Irish men, women and children died and are buried in unmarked mass graves.  John later assisted the Massachusetts Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) place two memorial tablets on Deer Island in memory of those Irish who survived the Great Hunger and the crossing of an ocean only to die in a quarantine station less than a mile from Boston. 

John was the Massachusetts coordinator for Lawyers Alliance for Justice in Ireland for more than ten (10) years.  As a member of the national group of lawyers and judges concerned with the rule of law in Northern Ireland, John assisted with the legal appeals of a number of controversial Diplock Court cases in Northern Ireland, he coordinated visits to prisons to meet republican prisoners unjustly convicted without trial by jury and he was an international observer of the contentious 12th of July parades by the Orange Order.  John worked closely with Civil Rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson until she was killed outside her home in Lurgan by a car bomb in 1999.  John testified to the international tribunal looking into Rosemary’s murder and provided first-hand evidence of the dangers she faced as a lawyer in Northern Ireland.

John is also one of the founders of WWW.GetIrishPassport.com an on-line service that assists Irish-Americans obtain Irish citizenship so they can live and work in Ireland and carry an Irish passport.  The service is set to launch in January of 2025.

John was awarded the Belfast Ambassador Medal for his on-going work over 30-years to bring peace, justice and the rule of law to Northern Ireland.  This past year, John was the recipient of the Charitable Irish Society’s Silver Key Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the immigrant community. 

John has a home in Inverin, County Galway, Ireland on the same patch of land his grandmother, Delia O’Toole Curran lived on before emigrating to the United States.

Kathryn Ellis is the Director for the UMass Innovation Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst .

UMass Amherst is the flagship of the five- campus system in Massachusetts.  With over 30,000 students in over 190 academic programs the University is a R1 University and ranked number 3 in Massachusetts for Research.

The Innovation Institute that Kathryn manages is the UMASS Industrial partnership office which harnesses the relationship between companies seeking innovation challenges and matching with our expert researchers to solve them. Part of her role is managing and promoting innovation space on campus for spin out companies both from the university and start-ups in the New England area and beyond.

Prior to joining UMASs Kathryn was Economic Development Director for the city of Newton where she managed large scaled commercial developments in the city and assisted over 4000 businesses. Prior to that Kathryn along with a business partner formed an economic development consultancy practice called EDAgency. Contracts included promoting the cities of Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol and Basel, Switzerland.

Kathryn is original from Belfast Northern Ireland and has lived in Boston for 30 years. Her career span has been involved in economic development and for 20 years of her career she was Vice President US East Coast for the SouthWest of England Regional Development Agency and was responsible for attracting large Northern American companies into the Region.  Kathryn holds a Bachelor Degree in Management and a MBA from Curry College, MA, she is currently completing her PhD in Educational Leadership at the University of Massachusetts. 

Kathryn is on the Board of the Boston Irish Business Association and past Board member of the British American Business Association.  She has helped organize multiple trade missions to Northern Ireland and Belfast is always a key city included in these programs.   Most recently in November 2022 Belfast welcomed two UMass Hockey teams (UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell)  as part of the Friendship Four Championships this visit also aligned with a visit by the Governor, Charlie Baker.  Kathryn also recently joined as US board member for the Friends of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland and is a keen advocate for helping career paths for the youth in Northern Ireland, she has welcomed multiple visits by Young Enterprise members at the UMass Boston Campus.    Kathryn’s proudest claim to fame is her Grandfather started Lavery’s in Shaftsbury Square and is now an iconic bar in the city.

Kevin has had a long and distinguished career in both the public and private sectors, serving with distinction in both appointed and elected offices at the local and state level. As the youngest person in the nation to be elected Mayor at that time, Kevin brought an entrepreneurial spirit to his role as the Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts, emphasizing the importance of economic development and small business in the creation of good paying jobs. 

As a small business owner and the son of a celebrated local woman-owned business owner, Kevin understands that businesses flourish when employees are engaged and informed about how to create value and use all of their skills and talents to contribute to the organizational mission. This background informs Kevin’s work at Babson, where in his role as Vice President, Strategic Corporate Relations and Engagement and Off-Campus Operations, Kevin leads a team that introduces Babson’s unique approach to the academic discipline of Entrepreneurial Leadership to local and international government, corporate, health care, finance, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Kevin works closely with Babson faculty to bring certificate programs to lifelong learners everywhere has proven to be a game changer for all of the organizations benefitting from these programs, who see immediate and measurable improvements in employee morale, retention and organizational understanding.

Kevin has also served in high ranking corporate financial services roles, having been an Executive Director at JP Morgan Chase Bank and as Senior Vice President at Banco Santander, creating strategic business opportunities and significantly increasing market share and revenues.  Prior to his work in financial services, Kevin served in three Massachusetts gubernatorial administrations and held two state cabinet seats, Secretary of Administration and Finance and Secretary of Transportation and Construction.  Kevin served as the Mayor of Lawrence, MA from 1986 to 1993.

Kevin and his family are renowned for their philanthropy throughout the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts, and Kevin has served on several boards and has received many awards for his work in community organizations, including Lawrence General Hospital, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, and the Boy Scouts of America. A proud father of two and new grandfather, Kevin resides in Merrimac, Massachusetts. 

Boston Globe Bestselling author, Kyle Darcy was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, soon after graduating from Ulster University. Darcy’s novels, UNDER CURRENT CONDITIONS and UNDER THE IMPRESSION, draw strongly on his unique Trans-Atlantic perspective and colorful real-life experiences. 

Originally from Cork City, Ireland and now residing in Boston, Laura is the CEO of North America at HealthBeacon, a medication adherence technology company. HealthBeacon develops smart tools for managing medication. Previously, Laura was Executive Vice President, US Operations at RxCelerate, an outsourced drug development company. Prior to that, Laura was the Director of Business Development at MassBio (Massachusetts Biotechnology Council), onboarding almost 700 new companies in 4 years. Additionally, Laura is the President of the Boston Irish Business Association (BIBA). In 2018, Laura received the Irish Echo 40 Under 40 Award, as well as their Business Innovator Award. In support of early-stage innovation, Laura is a Mentor and Judge at MassChallenge within their Bridge to MassChallenge program, advising foreign companies on aspects of market entry and market intelligence as well as Sales, Marketing and Business Development strategy. Laura has been a BIBA Board Member for several years and was awarded the Boston Irish Business Young Leader Award in 2015. Laura is a proud member of the American Heart Association Boston Metro Board of Directors and is affiliated with many worthwhile organizations such as the Quincy Chamber of Commerce & the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate – 1787 Society. Laura is a three-time graduate of Northeastern University, holding a BSBA in Finance, a Master’s Degree in Innovation and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA). Laura is passionate about business, disruptive technology, economic development, international trade and investment, and innovation. She takes great pride in facilitating introductions and making connections across her vast, global business network.

Martina is the Founder of CHC Home Care, a boutique style home care agency that allowed people to remain safely in their homes while receiving nursing care. She grew the business organically to a multimillion dollar company until it was acquired by a publicly traded corporation in October 2020. Martina serves as Board Chairperson of the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston and is the first female to hold this position.She’s an active member of the New England Council, Irish Network Boston, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Co-founder of Mná Mheiriceá.

In 2019 she was an honoree at the Irish Echo Small Business Impact Awards honoring Irish American entrepreneurs and business leaders receiving the Care Ambassador Award. Martinahas a deep fondness for her beloved Co. Clare where she was born and raised. She is and avid outdoors person and has completed three Boston Marathons. She is currently an EMBA Candidate at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School. Martina resides in the Back Bay with her husband Craig. 

Her motto to live by is, “Goals are achieved through hard work, high standards and surrounding yourself with good people.”

Mary Sugrue is the Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership. Ms. Sugrue has been with the Partnership for 33 years, serving in many capacities before assuming the role of CEO in 2016. In her tenure, the Partnership has raised over $56 million, benefiting more than 640 schools, universities, and community development initiatives. Originally from Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry, she graduated from National University of Ireland Carysfort College Dublin with a degree in education and spent three years teaching primary school in Ireland. As an Irish teacher by training, she possesses a valued perspective for furthering the Partnership’s mission through impactful grants to schools, educational programs, and community development initiatives. Active in Irish America across the US, she has been honored by the Boston Irish Reporter, the Belfast Ambassador, and Irish Echo. Mary also engages with community initiatives in her adopted hometown of Boston. She supports Rian, the Irish Cultural Centre, the Boston College Global Leadership Institute, the Irish Pastoral Center, Irish Network Boston, and Boston Irish for Pride. She is an active member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the New England Council, a founding member of the Boston Friends of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and provides direction and support to the Durant Fellowship for Refugee Medicine at MGH Global Health as well as several local schools.

Maureen Bennett represents life sciences and health care clients conducting global clinical trials and research collaborations. For more than 20 years, Maureen has advised life sciences companies, CROs (contract research organizations), academic medical centers, health care systems, patient focused organizations, and digital health companies on the contractual, regulatory, and ethical issues associated with clinical research.

Maureen regularly advises clients on emerging issues in clinical research, such as strategies to meet clinical trial diversity and health equity objectives, the design and implementation of compliant decentralized clinical trials and telemedicine networks, the structuring of patient recruitment programs, and the development of complex outsourcing arrangements between sponsors, CROs, and site management organizations. She has assisted several clients regarding the conduct of global trials for therapeutics and vaccines to address COVID-19.

Maureen also negotiates clinical trial agreements, reviews informed consents, and assists with interactions with and inspections by regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

She also represents clients in the assessment and mitigation of regulatory risks and the negotiation of liability allocation arrangements in M&A, licensing, and other commercial transactions.

Maureen formerly served as co-chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Health Care Section. She was honorary co-chair for the 8th Annual Boston-Northwest Ireland Golden Bridges Conference 2022 and is a regular speaker at health industry conferences.

Maureen is a member of the national Board of Directors for Lambda Legal and is co-chair of the Jones Day LGBTQ+ affinity group. She is a member of the Boston College Women’s Softball Advisory Board.

Nuala McGowan is the Senior Director of Research Finance and Compliance for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Harvard University. Nuala supports faculty and administrators in the management of sponsored programs. Nuala has been in Research Administration and Compliance for over 18 years, beginning her higher education career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with their Internal Audit division, before moving to Harvard University in 2007.  Nuala was the recipient of the Harvard Dean’s Distinction Award in 2013. 

After completing her education in business and finance, at the North West Institute in Derry, Nuala received her Morrison Visa and traveled to Boston in 1995. She began her career as a financial analyst with Staples, Incorporated, and advanced to a Senior Business Analyst position on their Y2K team. Nuala continued her career in corporate retail with two fortune 100 companies as a Senior Internal Auditor.

Nuala played Gaelic football for Tir na Nog LGFC for many years and was the recipient of the Boston GAA “All-Star” award in 2009. Nuala also played for the Eire Og Camogie Club for seven years and served as chairperson of the club for four years.

Nuala was born in Donegal Town, the daughter of Mary McGowan, and the late Eddie McGowan. Nuala is one of nine and has a sister living close by in New York. The remainder of her siblings reside in Donegal Town, and several play a role in operating their family business, Daytona Heavy Haulage. Nuala currently lives in Arlington, MA with her wife, Erin and two kids, Rónán and Méabh. 

Nuala was the recipient of the Golden Bridges Diaspora Ambassador Award in 2016. She served as an Honorary chair for the 2022 Annual Golden Bridges transatlantic conference and is a regular contributor to the conference.

Patrick Bench is the Founder of Benchmark Strategies. In this role, he provides public affairs and lobbying counsel to clients. Patrick specializes in economic development and procurement advisory services.

Patrick founded Benchmark Strategies in 2014 after years of leadership in executive government offices, specializing in economic development and international affairs.

Prior to launching Benchmark Strategies, Patrick served for five years as a Vice President of Public Affairs at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications. Preceding Rasky Baerlein, Patrick served for five years in economic development roles in Governor Mitt Romney’s and Governor Deval Patrick’s Administrations, primarily as the Director of Business Development for the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI).

Patrick is a Bachelor of Political Science graduate from Providence College, with a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University. He lives with his wife and daughters in Boston, Massachusetts.

Richard was appointed Director of the NI Bureau in North America in August 2024.

Richard is a career Northern Ireland Civil Servant with a wide range of policy and delivery experience, including as Deputy Director of the Bureau from 2017 to 2020.

As Director of Good Relations in The Executive Office he focused on creating thriving communities, building on previous experience of Troubles legacy issues in the Department of Justice and education reform in the Department of Education.

He has unique insights from secondments across the UK and Irish governments: the Northern Ireland Office (where he started his career with landmark reform of policing and criminal justice under the Belfast Good Friday Agreement); the Irish Civil Service (equality and EU issues in the Department of Justice); and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (including as Director of Communications for The Queen’s historic State Visit to Ireland). He studiedEnglishatTrinityCollegeDublinandhasaMAinPublicAdministration. Heismarried with two children.

Ryan is a Co-Founder & Partner of Prism Benefits – an Employee Benefits firm on a mission to bring financial security to the American workforce. Statistically speaking, most working Americans are ill prepared for life’s uncertainties. Prism believes that Employers possess the power to correct this through thoughtfully designed Employee Benefits programs combined with proactive Employee Education & Accountability – Prism offers both alongside it’s benefits administration and compliance services and can also support its clients internationally through strategic alliances. 

Ryan is the current President of the Dedham Square Circle. The organization is a Main Streets-like non-profit that’s committed to invigorating the Central Business District in the Town of Dedham – Dedham Square – through increasing its economic prosperity, promoting its rich history, arts and culture, and aesthetically enhancing the Square’s physical environment to benefit the entire community. The organization recently received a COVID Hero’s Among Us Award from the Neponset Regional Chamber of Commerce for its response to assisting and guiding local businesses through the pandemic.

Ryan is the immediate Past President and Chairman of the Boston Irish Business Association (BIBA) and remains on the organizations Board of Directors. In his work with BIBA, he’s had the opportunity to travel as a delegate to Ireland on trade missions with the goal of building and strengthening trade relationships and diplomacy between Massachusetts, Ireland and Northern Ireland. He was honored by the Irish Echo News Paper – the largest and most widely-read Irish-American weekly in the US – with a 40 Under 40 Award in 2012 and with a Small Business Big Impact Award in 2019.

Ryan resides in Dedham, MA with his wife Kara and their three children.

Civic Organizations

Dedham Square Circle, President

Boston Irish Business Association (BIBA), Past President, Board Member

Town of Dedham, Town Meeting, District 7 Representative (Elected)

Sara Stanton is the Founder and Managing Director of Cara Group Travel, a leading custom group travel company based in Quincy, Massachusetts. For over 13 years, she has guided the company’s growth and reputation for creating transformative international journeys that inspire connection, education, and cultural exchange.

With more than 25 years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry, Sara is recognized as a trailblazer in international sports travel. She played a pivotal role in developing the Friendship Four Ice Hockey Tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and has overseen travel logistics for major collegiate basketball events in Dublin and London. Through these initiatives, she has helped bring U.S. collegiate teams abroad, fostering both athletic competition and meaningful cross-cultural engagement.

Sara’s expertise also extends to professional learning travel programs. She has curated global journeys for judges and lawyers from the Chicago Bar Association, blending legal education with immersive cultural experiences and has led legislative learning missions for the New York State Legislature, advancing international dialogue and collaboration.

At the heart of Cara Group Travel is the Irish word “Cara,” meaning “friend.” This spirit of friendship and connection defines Sara’s approach to travel and business alike. Guided by her commitment to connection, trust, and personalized service, she continues to shape Cara Group Travel’s mission to deliver exceptional group travel experiences across Ireland, Europe, and beyond

Sean Moynihan is a 1992 cum laude graduate of Providence College and a 2001 cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School’s evening division program. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in January 2002. He spent over a decade working in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, including positions as Counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee and Counsel to the House Majority Leader.

As Counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee, Sean analyzed legislative and budgetary proposals to make proper recommendations regarding state constitutional law, annual appropriation bills, inner workings of state agencies, and deciphering legal implications of funding proposals and amendments.  Public policy matters that Sean tackled on a daily basis included transportation, energy and the environment, life sciences/biotech, education, and the administration of justice in the Commonwealth.

In 2007 Sean founded The Moynihan Group, LLC, a Boston based boutique law firm specializing in government relations and public policy, corporate law, and transatlantic ventures.

Core services of the firm include legislative counsel, regulatory advocacy, procurement, business development, and business incorporation and compliance. The firm provides a strategic management style plan that is uniquely tailored to clients’ objectives. The firm has a history of representing clients in heavily regulated industries in Massachusetts.

The firm’s clients have included financial brokers, trade associations, universities, private security and public works related companies, non-profits, international service providers, international governmental bodies, international venture capital firms focused on high tech/innovation, and micro-mobility companies.

Sean is past President of Irish Network Boston (IN Boston) and is currently Vice President of Irish Network USA (IN USA). He also serves on the Irish International Immigrant Center’s (IIIC) Internship Advisory Panel working to identify employers for J-1 visa holders.

In the past, he served as “Connector” with the former Boston World Partnerships (BWP), a non-profit organization created by former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, and as a Trustee of the Irish Pastoral Centre in Boston.

Sean lives in Hingham, MA with his wife Lynn and their two children Maeve and Declan.

Síghle FitzGerald is the Consul General for New England, based in Boston and with responsibility for the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. She is a graduate of the University of Galway and holds an honours degree in English & Political Science as well as a postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations from Dublin City University. Consul General FitzGerald has over twenty years’ experience working as a career diplomat with Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. She served as Cultural and Press Attaché in Ireland’s embassies in Madrid and Washington DC and was assigned to Ireland’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU in 2013. She became Joint Director General of the International Fund for Ireland in 2021 having previously served in the North South Ministerial Council in Armagh.