Newry Chamber held its second hugely successful International Men’s Day Celebration Event on Friday 21st November at a packed Newry Rugby Club with 100+ local business representatives in attendance.
Kindly sponsored by Duality Healthcare, O’Hare & McGovern and DMC Events and expertly hosted by the Presenter, Commentator & Award-Winning Broadcaster, Thomas Niblock, the successful event is now a firm fixture in our annual events programme and enjoyed by everyone in the room.
There were so many magic moments throughout the day with our speakers and panellists showing a deep sense of humour that had the audience in stitches on many occasions and also displaying raw emotion and honesty around issues that all men face across family, work, performance and physical and mental health.
The first Fireside Chat was with the STATSports Co-Founder, Sean O’Connor, who discussed the remarkable journey of the Newry-based firm and their meteoric rise from humble local beginnings to acquisition by global electronics giant, Sony.
Next in the armchair was General Surgeon & 2002 All-Ireland Winner with Armagh, Kevin McElvanna, who discussed the pain of loss, raising a family, developing a successful career and helping to turn tragedy to joy for his local club, Madden who lifted their first Senior County Championship in their 92-year history.
Plenty of banter, chat and advice followed with the panel discussion with some of the area’s biggest personalities:
- Benny Tierney – 2002 All-Ireland Winner & School Principal
- Colin Bell – Founder, The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust
- Jim McGuigan – Actor, Singer, Director & Fundraiser
- John McEvoy – CEO, Duality Healthcare
A huge thank you to all our sponsors, speakers and panellists and all our members and local businesses who attended, with all proceeds going to The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and our 2025 Charity Partner, Women’s Aid Armagh Down.