Eireann Dolan

Eireann Dolan is an American writer, philanthropist, religious studies academic,[1] and former broadcaster for CSN California. She is well known for her work around charities and social issues in collaboration with her husband, Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle.[2][3] In 2015, she hosted the Comcast SportsNet show Call to the Pen about the Oakland Athletics.[4]

Philanthropy

Dolan has stated she and Doolittle make an effort to not just write a check, but also promote others to engage on causes they care about.[1]

LGBT advocacy

In 2015, the Oakland Athletics announced they would host their first-ever Pride Night, to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender fans. Dolan, who has two moms,[5] wanted to be supportive of the team's efforts to welcome LGBT fans to the Oakland Coliseum.[6] Some season ticket holders had negative reactions to the announced Pride Night, and said they planned to not attend the game; Dolan put out a call on her blog and Twitter feed that she would purchase any tickets at face value and donate them to local LGBT charities.[7] She also started a GoFundMe to raise money for Bay Area LGBT groups Our Space, AIDS Project East Bay, and Frameline; the campaign raised nearly $40,000 in donations. She and Doolittle also matched $3,000.[6] Through the Pride Night campaign, Dolan and Doolittle were able to donate 900 tickets to the game to LGBT charities.[8] She received the Ally for Equality Award from the Bay Area Human Rights Campaign in 2015 for her work with Pride Night.[9]

Syrian refugee Thanksgiving dinner 2015

In November 2015, Dolan was disturbed by anti-refugee statements made by governors in her residence of Arizona, her home state of Illinois, and Doolittle's home state of New Jersey.[10] Dolan's grandfather had fled civil war in Ireland to emigrate to the United States.[3] She wanted to do something to honor the Syrian refugees now entering the United States, and since she was planning to be with family in Illinois for Thanksgiving, decided to host Syrian refugee families for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, in collaboration with the Syrian Resettlement Network in Chicago.[10] Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel heard of the plan and wanted to attend; while his schedule precluded Dolan's attendance, she sent her father as her representative, and A's fans provided desserts.[3] Seventeen Syrian refugee families attended the event.[11]

Mental health resources for veterans

For Memorial Day 2017, Dolan and Doolittle co-authored an article in Sports Illustrated advocating for mental health services for U.S. military veterans with "bad papers"—a classification for service members who receive a "less than honorable" discharge.[12] Before writing it, they sought out briefings from 10 organizations working on the issue, including the Brookings Institution, Human Rights Campaign, and Cato Institute.[1] This wasn't the first time the couple has supported veterans issues; they also created a registry to furnish two Northern California houses through Operation Finally Home, an organization that provides housing to wounded veterans and their families.[1]

Personal life

Dolan was raised in Chicago.[4] Her father was a bank vice president and her mother was a stay at home mom. Her uncle was in the Navy.[1] She studied theology and religious studies at L'Institut Catholique de Paris for three years, but graduated from the University of San Diego.[4]

Dolan met Doolittle in 2012. Dolan had been working as a comedy writer with former Oakland A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who thought she and his fellow A's pitcher Doolittle would click.[3] McCarthy suggested they connect, and they did so via Twitter.[3] The couple married on October 2, 2017, the day after the end of the 2017 Major League Baseball season.[13] This is her second marriage.

She is a graduate student in pastoral studies at Fordham University's Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education.[4]

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References
  1. Janes, Chelsea (2018-03-27). "Sean Doolittle and Eireann Dolan may be baseball's most 'woke' couple". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  2. DiGiovanna, Mike (2017-02-20). "Whether on the mound or for refugees in need, relief is a calling for the Nat's' Sean Doolittle". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  3. Kepner, Tyler (2016-03-12). "Off the Mound, Sean Doolittle Brings Relief to the Ostracized". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  4. "For the Love of Baseball and Social Justice: Eireann Dolan and Washington Nationals Closer Sean Doolittle". Fordham Newsroom. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  5. Dolan, Eireann (2015-03-27). "Oakland Athletics Pride Night 2015". Thank You Based Ball. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  6. "Sean Doolittle's girlfriend Eireann Dolan supports gay fans". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  7. "Girlfriend of Oakland A's pitcher puts her money where her mouth is about team's LGBT Pride Night". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  8. "Pride, prejudice and the Oakland Athletics' Sean Doolittle's big LGBT pitch - San Francisco Business Times". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  9. "2015 HRC SF Bay Area Local Award Winners | San Francisco Human Rights Campaign Annual Gala Dinner & Auction". sfhrcgala.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  10. "One Woman's 'Better Idea' for Welcoming Syrian Refugees". KQED News. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  11. "A's Pitcher, Girlfriend Host Syrian Refugees for Thanksgiving". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  12. "Sean Doolittle's quest to get veterans with "bad paper" the help they need". SI.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  13. Dunn, Mina (October 3, 2017). "SEAN DOOLITTLE AND EIREANN DOLAN ELOPE, EVERYTHING IS GOOD". The Nats Blog. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
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