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Aifos Sponsor Golf Team for Fund Raiser In Ireland

This year Aifos were delighted to take part in the 5th Ambassadors Golf Classic in aid of the artists retreat, Cill Rialaig, Ballinskelligs, near Waterville in Co. Kerry.

The Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Senor Jose de Carvajal Salido was kind enough to captain the Aifos team of Jill Kennedy, Susan McMullan and Breege Keenan and lead them on to joint second prize at the world renowned Waterville Golf Links. This superb links course has recently hosted many of the world's top ranking golfers including Tiger Woods, David Duval and Mark O'Meara. It is regarded by many as the "jewel in the crown" of Irish championship golf courses. The second day's golf was played on the recently completed Skellig Bay course with its magnificent rugged scenery and wonderful views over the Atlantic.

The funds raised by the Ambassadors Golf Classics have provided free accommodation for 1,300 artists, poets, writers and composers over the past four years. In addition to sponsoring a team for this very worthy artistic cause, Aifos also generously donated the "star" tombola prize of a luxury weekend for two in either the 5* Gran Hotel Gvadalpin Marbella or the 5* Gran Hotel Gvadalpin Banus including return scheduled flights from Ireland, a round of golf, spa treatments and dinner at the superb La Proa seafood restaurant in Guadalpin Banus.

The gala dinner was a glittering occasion attended by sponsors and their guests, ambassadors and their wives, golf team members together with leading members of the corporate sector, both Irish and American. The tombola draw took place during the dinner which was followed by an art auction, ably conducted by well known Cork auctioneer Andy Moore and Noelle Campbell Sharp, organiser of the whole event. Thirty six donated works of art were auctioned and raised thousands of euro for the artists' retreat fund.

As the Aifos star prize was undrawn in the tombola at the gala dinner, an auction was held after the golf prize giving on Saturday afternoon. Andy Moore, the auctioneer, kindly delayed his departure from Waterville for this special occasion. After intense bidding this luxury weekend for two in Gran Hotel Gvadalpin was knocked down to Ciaran Nagle of the Three Irish Tenors and proceeds of this auction, which raised a further Euro 850, went, of course, to Noelle Campbell Sharp's very worthy Cill Rialaig Project in Ballinskelligs.

Aifos were very happy to be part of this most prestigious annual golf event which was attended by several Ambassadors to Ireland. In addition to the Spanish Ambassador, H. E. Senor Jose de Carvajal Salido and his wife Senora Sol de Carvajal Salido, the event also had in attendance the Ambassadors and their wives from Brazil, Germany, Japan, Slovenia and Sweden. Other participating teams were captained by leading members of the corporate sector in Ireland and America.