Barretstown’s Dee Ahearn Brings Serious Fun to Kids with Serious Illness

Irish Stew Podcast

Founded by actor/philanthropist Paul Newman in 1994 to “press play” for children affected by serious illness, Barretstown serves thousands of young people and families at its magical County Kildare castle and beyond with impactful programs across Ireland and the UK.
Our guest Dee Ahearn has been the driving force behind the Barretstown success story, joining in 2010 as CEO after an international career in marketing and communications with a stint as chairperson of the Make A Wish Foundation Ireland.
In this holiday episode Dee shares heartwarming stories of transformation, saying:
“Many parents will say that when they're on the drive out the gates of Barretstown, the conversation with their children is when can we come back? Why do we have to leave? This is better than Disney World! And the teenagers want to know how quickly I can come back, what age I need to be to become a volunteer. ”
But the serious fun of swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, arts & crafts, and putting on plays rests on a foundation of solid governance, a quality that attracted our additional guest Tony Dunne, Bank of Ireland’s US CFO, COO & US Country Manager, to chair the friend-raising and fundraising-focused Barretstown Foundation USA.
The conversation underscores the importance of community and international support, including the cross-Atlantic support from American families and volunteers, and wraps with Dee’s invitation to you to get involved and help Barretstown provide even more “serious fun.”
Links
Barretstown

• Website
• Donate
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• TwitterX
• TikTok

Barretstown Foundation USA

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Year End Appeal

Dee Ahearn

• LinkedIn

Tony Dunne, CFO, COO & US Country Manager at Bank of Ireland US

• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 22; Total Episode Count: 102

Capitole

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. A Hypothetical Barretstown Donation (00:02:37)

3. Dee Ahearn's Origin Story (00:03:39)

4. The importance of Ambassadors (00:10:23)

5. Maintaining Performance at a Not For Profit (00:13:00)

6. A Week at Barretstown (00:14:26)

7. An Activity Schedule at Barretstown (00:14:29)

8.  Pressing Play on Childhood (00:20:44)

9. Unfulfilled Demand (00:22:05)

10. The Bereavement Program (00:25:42)

11. Calming Parent Worries (00:28:19)

12. Barretstown in America (00:30:37)

13. Tony Dunne: A Barretstown View (00:36:46)

14. Getting Governance Right (00:38:48)

15. Barretstown: A Global Perspective (00:45:10)

16. Comparing Giving in Ireland to America (00:46:01)

17. Seamus Plug (00:48:40)

18. John and Martin Recap (00:51:40)

19. Credits (00:53:18)