He (or you) might enjoy Toastmasters. The three English-speaking clubs in Zurich meet every two weeks. You may know it as a club that helps you improve your speaking skills, but it's also a great place to meet people from all over (including Ireland) and learn a little about a vast array of subjects.
www.toastmasters.ch

Hi There,
I'd recommend Meetup.com for group events.
There's quite a few groups listed in Zurich and something for everyone. I presonally like the 'Zurich meetup' (as it's the original and largest one with approx 800 memebers.. in fact, I liked it so much I'm the organiser now ;o)
nightlife.meetup.com
Loads of events from afterwork drinks to VIP nights at some of the best venues in town. It's 'new in town' focused and we're a friendly bunch who make the effort to include new memebers, cos we were all there once too... It's all about fun, laughs and meeting great new people...
Hope it helps.
Jake

First, I'd recommend www.englishforum.ch
And there's also www.zhic.org
Just to start.