Buongiorno Irlanda!
New Italian Club in ESB
By John Traynor, ESBI
A new ESB Italian Club was formally launched in no finer venue than the Mclaughlin restaurant on Friday October 9th. the occasion was marked with a delicious Italian lunch specially prepared for us by the kind staff of the Mclaughlin and eloquently explained by native chef Andrea Gaioni. More than 30 people attended and they very much enjoyed the food and the opportunity to get involved, even as beginners.
Special invitees included Chris Mcelhinney, who was there to confirm senior management support for the initiative. In welcoming the launch and congratulating those involved, Chris remarked on how visible were the changes in make up of ESB personnel over the last 20 years, with the group now employing people from virtually every country in europe and from many countries beyond that. As if to confirm this fact, the club lunch was organised by Magdalena Bryla (Shared Services legal) from Poland and two Italian colleagues who have already joined the Club Committee were also present: Rosita Teobaldo (ESBI) and Antonio di Gangi (ICT Group).
The objectives of the new club include providing convenient opportunities for complete novices to avail of Italian language classes. Beginners´ classes have since commenced on Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes in Head Office. they are conducted by Bridget O´ Brien, an accomplished linguist who has taught Italian at different levels. For improvers and more advanced speakers, the Club is organising "language tandems", which take place weekly in Head Office or in Il Caffé di Napoli on Westland Row. Language tandems, now a feature of Dublin cultural life, involve two or more persons, at least one of whom is native Italian and another is native english-speaking, meeting to converse on agreed topics of interest, with a view to helping improve each other's proficiency in the target language. But as with the launch in October, the Club also intends to organise social events. For example, we are planning a Christmas Dinner for early to mid-December in one of the many excellent Italian restaurants in town.
Not least, the Club also intends to emphasise cultural links and opportunities. to this end we are in touch with the official Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Dublino (www.iicdublino. esteri.it/IIC_Dublino), which is conveniently located just up the road in Fitzwilliam Square. As if again to underline the degree of cultural diversity that exists in Ireland today, the Istituto recently showed an excellent, award-winning documentary film Identities, by Irish-born Italian lady, Vittoria Colonna.
The major credit for the initiative to create an Italian Club must go to "Il Direttore" - not trappatoni, but Steve Johnson of Group Internal Audit. Steve took a chance earlier this year and searched for like-minded devotees. like some other colleagues in ESB companies, such as Grainne Coogan and Mark Fowler, Steve worked for a time in Italy in passato. Still others, like this writer, rapidly became innamorato with the people, the food, the history and culture, and also the language, during visits there for work, holidays, or indeed - for language lessons al fresco before a dip and some lunch
For further information, contact any of the following:
Steve Johnson, ext: 27335,
Club President Anne Slevin, ext: 26907,
Treasurer (and coordinator of Beginner Lessons) Magdalena Bryla, ext: 26348,
Events Co-ordinator Grainne Coogan, ext: 43821
John Traynor, ext 37165,
Public Relations Rosita Teobaldo, ext. 38318
Antonio di Gangi, ext. 27609
