Daughters Of Ireland Establishes New Chapter For Women

By: Community Magazine | March 9, 2024 |  |  Monmouth County

In February, the Daughters of Ireland, a non-profit organization in New Jersey, announced the expansion with a new chapter in Monmouth County. The organization is a social and philanthropic non-profit that offers women who live and work in Monmouth County an opportunity to come together to cultivate friendships through civic projects and commitment to giving back to their communities, while honoring the Irish heritage that unites them.

Founding President Jessica Shea-Brown brought the chapter to Monmouth County after seeing firsthand the impact that the founding chapter in Union County had on its members and their community. Founded in 2017, the Union County chapter has served businesses, organizations and communities throughout their county with initiatives like toy drives, food drives, and blood drives, and has raised over $46,000 in scholarships for Union County students.

“As one of the more than one million New Jersey residents of Irish descent, I was inspired by the work being done in Union County and saw a need for the same opportunity for women in Monmouth County to give back while building connections with likeminded women,” said Shea-Brown. “When we had over 50 women attend our initial interest meeting, I knew this was the start of something impactful.”

With its first official meeting under its belt and more than 50 members committed to the organization in less than a month, the Monmouth County Daughters of Ireland are hitting the ground running as a new non-profit. They will be making their first appearances at two parades this year: the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 10th and the Highlands St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 23rd.

The organization meets monthly at different locations throughout the county to connect women and identify service projects, fundraisers and social events. The founding executive board includes six members: President Jessica Shea-Brown, Vice President Lorna Darcy O’Hara, Secretary Maureen Voccola, Treasurer Tricia Sirico, Communications Strategist Stacey Cooney and Sergeant at Arms Cathy Ryan.

Women interested in learning more about becoming a member can follow the organization on Facebook at Monmouth County Daughters of Ireland or Instagram @daughtersofireland_mc