Tonight on RTE was part one of a two part documentary following the lives of charity “queens” as they were called.
I don’t know what is worse, RTE devoting time to these people, or RTE not being able to recognise the blatant opportunism and “only in it to improve my social status and my bank balance” of one of their “charity queens” in particular. “one third of my work is pro bono” Tara O’Connor was filmed saying. Yes, and how much of your business is driven through the contacts you have made doing charity “pro-bono-i’m-a-saint-work” Tara dahling.
Tara also simpered about how she hadn’t had the privilege of working with Deirdre Kelly, but would love to, but had been lucky enough to get some advice from Caroline Downey. Caroline Downey apparently is married to Denis Desmond, of MCD fame, and knows all the Irish music/rock royalty. Deirdre Kelly used to work for Brown Thomas but branched out on her on, and set up a charity close to her heart to raise money for special needs children, called Angels Quest.
To Kelly and Downey I would give the benefit of the doubt. O’Connor, on the other hand, seemed to me, to be in it for purely cynical reasons. i.e. use whatever means at my disposal to further my own career through devoting “one third of myself” to pro bono work.
I don’t know. Maybe she is a saint, I just couldn’t buy into that. Especially when she turned up at the fundraiser run by Downey for the Christina Noble foundation uttering “it’s so nice to be at one of these things and to not be working for a change”. Jesus. If you are so exhausted by fund raising, then don’t use the apparently most expensive and biggest fundraiser of the year that you aren’t organising, for a networking-shmoozing opportunity.
We see enough of this crap in VIP if we choose to pick it up. As one commentator said, if you really believe in a charity that much, then write your cheque and put it in the post. Or words to that effect. Why be seeen preened like a peacock to be supporting it? Lots of us lesser mortals support our charities that way. We put cheques in the post.
If you really want to earn kudos as a saintly charity worker, then, canvas Grafton Street on an I’m sorry I’m too busy shopping saturday afternoon. Spend the two thousand euro your dress cost on a direct donation. But will that feel as good as seeing yourself on the pages of VIP or Irish Tatler or Image Magazine.
Honestly….. will it feel as good?
