President Deirdre Freerick welcomed two special guests to the event: Gerard Angley, the consul general of Ireland in New York, and Siobhan Dennehy, executive director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center and the Irish Echo’s Irish American of the Year.

The event also honoured Courtney McManus and Rob Rickner for their outstanding service this year on the New York County Democratic Committee’s independent judicial screening panels.

“Their commitment, professionalism, and dedication to the integrity of the screening process have been invaluable to our organisation and to the broader legal community,” a spokesperson said.

Thomas Hayden, a Yale Law School student, was also named at the event as the Brehon Law Society’s human rights summer intern for 2026, supporting its human rights and immigration initiatives.

The Brehon Law Society of New York was founded in 1978 to campaign for human rights in Northern Ireland and is made up principally, but not exclusively, of Irish-American lawyers and judges.