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American Irish Historical Society
Names Entrepreneur David C. Mccourt Its 2004 Gold
Medal Awards Recipient
Revolutionary of the Telecom Industry Will Host
Special Screening of Documentary About the Children
of Ireland
NEW YORK, April 7th, 2004
— The 107-year-old American Irish Historical
Society announced today that it would bestow its 2004
Gold Medal award upon entrepreneur and telecom executive
David C. McCourt, Chairman and CEO of RCN Corp. The
Gold Medal will be presented at the Society's annual
dinner on November 4, 2004 at the Waldorf Astoria
in New York City.
"David McCourt has been a spirited, visionary,
and civic-minded business leader," said Kevin
D. Cahill, M.D., the Society's President-General.
"His energy, his innovative flair, his compassion
for the less fortunate, and his deep pride in his
Irish ancestry make him a worthy honoree of our Society."
"Like millions of others, I love Ireland and
I love America," said Mr. McCourt. "I feel
truly blessed to be selected for this Gold Medal by
an organization that has done so much to preserve
and promote the ties between these two great nations."
Mr. McCourt, one of seven children, was raised in
Watertown, Massachusetts, and graduated from Georgetown
University. For over 25 years, Mr. McCourt has been
an innovator, entrepreneur, and business leader across
the construction, communications, and media industries.
He has founded 10 companies in 3 countries and is
widely recognized as a transformational force in the
telecommunications business.
His many achievements include building the first phone
company to challenge the New England Telephone Company
monopoly back in the early 1980s; then creating the
first telecom company to offer a bundled package of
cable, phone, and Internet services to the residential
market. After U.S. troops liberated Grenada in 1983,
McCourt established the first independent television
station on the island, producing a range of programming
for the Caribbean market.
Mr. McCourt is also the Executive Producer of the
Showtime documentary series "What's Going On?,"
which examines the impact of global conflict on the
lives of children around the world. The most recent
installment of the series focuses on the children
of Northern Ireland, and is hosted by Meg Ryan and
features Irish tenor Ronan Tynan. A special screening
of the documentary is scheduled for April 29th at
the United Nations.
Mr. McCourt's maternal grandparents came through Ellis
Island separately around the turn of the century from
County Galway. He owns a home in New Market-on-Fergus,
County Clare and visits Ireland several times a year.
About the American Irish Historical Society
The American Irish Historical Society was founded
at the close of the 19th century to inform the world
of the achievements of the Irish in America. Based
in New York City, the Society is a national center
of public scholarship and education, where current
issues are explored and where the great renaissance
in Irish culture is celebrated.
The Society's Library houses more than 10,000 volumes,
the most complete private collection of Irish and
American Irish history and literature in the United
States. It is open to the public five days a week.
As well, the Society hosts a full schedule of evening
readings, lectures, and concerts throughout the academic
year.
Previous recipients of the Society's Gold Medal include
President Ronald Reagan, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan,
business leader Donald Keough, author Mary Higgins.
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