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The Dubai Duty Free team and guests at the K Club on Saturday night |
IRELAND/UAE. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Ball, a key social element of the Irish horse racing year, took place last Saturday, 27 June, at the renowned K Club in Straffan, Kildare.
The event was one of a series of activities that culminated in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Sunday, 28 June, the top event in Ireland’s racing calendar. The race day at The Curragh, Co Kildare, offered Dubai Duty Free intense global media coverage around the world. The feature race was won by Aidan O’Brien-trained Fame and Glory.
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| (Left) Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Colm McLoughlin with his wife Breeda; (centre) Deputy Managing Director George Horan and his wife Carmel; (right) Jihad El Sibai and Sinead El Sibai, Manager-Events, Advertising & Media | ||
The black tie ball was sponsored by Dubai Duty Free and was attended by racing personalities and racing fans together with several leading business representatives from Dubai and around the world.
Guests enjoyed a fine five-course meal prepared by the K Club’s award winning chefs. The ball room was decorated in silver and white in honour of Dubai Duty Free’s 25th anniversary. The Camembert Quartet, well known for their weekly appearances on the Ryan Tubridy show on Irish broadcaster RTE, provided the entertainment.
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| (Left to right) Dubai Duty Free guests Seamus & Jacinta Byrne; Jill and Bruce McGuire; Mark and Britt Riches | ||
Proceeds from the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Ball were donated to the Kildare Community and Education Partnership (KCEP) a local charity that helps support the vulnerable and people in need in Kildare Town.
Aidan McKeown from KCEP gave a speech about the charity and how the money raised will help improve the lives of families and individuals in Kildare.
TV3 presenter Colette Fitzpatrick was the MC for the evening, while racing expert and commentator Dessie Scahill gave his top tips for the racing ahead and also hosted a charity auction, where guests “˜bid’ for one of the horses in the feature race.
Other items raffled included tennis memorabilia donated by Dubai Duty Free, a €500 shopping voucher from Kildare Village shopping outlet, a golfing four ball at the K Club, ownership and naming rights of a race from The Curragh racecourse, a bepoke hat from Mad Hatters and a host of other items.
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| (Left) The Moodie Report Publisher Martin Moodie with Anna Khan and Christine Corpuz, Dubai Duty Free; (centre) Gerard Kearney, Manager, The Aviation Club, Dubai, with his wife Julie; (right) guests Donal & Siobhan Kilalea | ||
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