Two Kildare women awarded prestigious scholarships to US institutions

Two women living in Kildare have been awarded prestigious Fulbright scholarships to enable them to study in US institutions for 12 months.

Jessica O'Neill is a graduate of Law from Trinity College Dublin. As a Fulbright Awardee, Jessica will be attending Harvard Law School to undertake an LL.M. focusing on constitutional and regulatory law. Jessica has a keen interest in the right to privacy, which she plans to develop at Harvard.

Susan Boyle is a drinks researcher and playwright. Her PhD research at the Technological University, Dublin is in Beverage Studies. As a Fulbright-Creative Ireland Museum Fellowship Smithsonian Awardee at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Washington DC, Susan will investigate the impact of European immigrants on pre-prohibition brewing and distilling in the United States.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Ireland Mike Clausen are delighted to announce 37 Fulbright Irish Awardees for 2023-2024. Recipients were presented with Awards at a ceremony in the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence last night. 

Academics, professionals, students and Irish speakers will attend 17 leading U.S. institutions to research, study, teach and collaborate with experts in their fields from August 2023 to August 2024.

The Fulbright bilateral exchange program is known for selecting outstanding candidates from across the island of Ireland to study and work with U.S. Institutions across all disciplines ranging from health, science, technology and business to the arts and culture. As the Fulbright Awardees forge ahead on these exciting opportunities, the breadth of their U.S. engagement is diverse and
impressive.

Awardees will travel to 17 states across the USA embedding themselves in institutions ranging from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Poets House New York and The University of Hawaii to The Smithsonian Institution in Washington and East Los Angeles College, the largest community college in California. Fulbright Irish Scholars, Students, and Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) will also engage with U.S. society and share their knowledge and expertise when they return
home.

In a year that saw Irish American President Biden visit Ireland, when ties between Ireland and the
U.S. have increased, the 37 Irish awardees will head to the U.S. to exchange ideas and knowledge
and serve as cultural ambassadors. By doing so they strengthen connections between the U.S. and
Ireland to foster much needed understanding and empathy in today’s increasingly polarised world.
The next round of applications for Fulbright Irish Awards will open on 28 th August 2023. Interested
candidates should visit www.fulbright.ie for more information.
Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and at
the Department of Education, Thomas Byrne TD said…
“The warmth of the relationship between Ireland and the United States is underpinned by our shared
history and common values. The Fulbright Commission and the Fulbrighters, past and present, are a
testament to the best traditions of academic and cultural exchange, and have an outstanding record
in representing Ireland. The Government of Ireland is proud to support this programme, which plays
an essential role in building transatlantic understanding and fostering extraordinary academic links,
through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht,
Sport and Media. My sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Irish Fulbright Awardees of
2023-2024.”