Another celebration on Nov. 30 was Catherine Cusack’s birthday. Her husband Leonard surprised with her a big cake, and flowers.

The PEI Brewing Co. on Kensington Rd. in Charlottetown proved a great spot for the book launch: comfortable chairs, good food, and good beer.

Jeff Squires, left, president of the PEI Brewing Co., joined author Leonard in a toast to Owen Connolly. Jeff was one of thousands of Irish Catholic Islanders who received the Connolly bursary to help with their university education.

Author Leonard Cusack taps the cask.

Friends and book lovers gathered at the PEI Brewing Co. on Thursday evening, Nov. 30 to celebrate our new book about Island entrepreneur: Owen Connolly: The Making of a Legacy 1820-2016, by Leonard Cusack. Part of the evening’s fun was the tapping of a cask of beer — Connolly made some of his fortune on legally selling alcohol in the mid-1800s and in his day, “cask” beer was the norm. Author Leonard Cusack had the honor of tapping the cask for the evening, and the beer was happily shared by everyone present.