37 Fulbright Irish Awardees for 2023-2024 pictured in the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence with Minister Thomas Byrne TD, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Ireland Mike Clausen, Fulbright ED Dr Dara Fitzgerald and Fulbright Chair Prof. Diane Negra. Photo by Conor McCabe. Courtesy of Fulbright.ie.

The Fulbright Irish Awardees for 2023-2024 were honored in a ceremony in the US Ambassador's residence on Thursday, June 8.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and US Chargé d'Affaires to Ireland Mike Clausen announced this year's 37 Fulbright Irish Awardees and presented them with awards at the ceremony on Thursday.

The awardees, which include academics, professionals, students, and Irish speakers, will attend 17 leading US 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 US Institutions across all disciplines ranging from health, science, technology and business to the arts and culture.

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 US society and share their knowledge and expertise when they return home.

The Fulbright awardees serve as cultural ambassadors, strengthening connections between the US and Ireland to foster understanding and empathy.

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.”

US Chargé d'Affaires to Ireland, Mike Clausen said: “The Fulbright Program represents the US government’s preeminent international educational and cultural exchange initiative. It plays a crucial role in sustaining and advancing the unique and close relationship between the United States and Ireland.

"Fulbright awardees exchange research, knowledge, ideas, and culture and contribute to solving important global problems. I congratulate this year’s awardees and wish them success in the United States and beyond.”

Chair of the Fulbright Commission Ireland Board, Professor Diane Negra, said: “I speak for the entire Fulbright Commission Ireland Board in congratulating the 37 Fulbright awardees on receiving their awards.

"Fulbright is synonymous with high-level research, academic excellence and cross-cultural collaboration and I wish the awardees every success as they travel to the US, join a thriving network of professional Alumni, and experience a rich and unique cultural and educational exchange that encompasses a Fulbright award.”

Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, Dr Dara FitzGerald, said: “I congratulate the new awardees on the significant honour and achievement of earning a Fulbright Award. The Commission takes pride in the Irish awardees who engage in the States and return home to share their learnings.

"I wish to extend my thanks to the partners, stakeholders and sponsors who have supported us in recent years. The impact of their support, both immediately and over time, cannot be underestimated."

Irish Fulbright Awardees, 2023 - 2024

Fulbright Irish Scholars

  • Dr James Britton
  • Dr Brian Hand Dr William Kinsella 
  • Dr Olwyn Mahon
  • Dr Kevin Mc Dermott
  • Dr Natalie McEvoy
  • Dr Gavin Murphy
  • Prof. Corina Naughton
  • Dr Ailbhe Nic Giolla Chomhaill 
  • Dr Juliette O'Connell
  • Dr Jane O'Hanlon
  • Prof. Kevin Rafter
  • Dr Gerard Walls
  • Dr Thomas Walsh
  • Dr Pádraic Whyte

Fulbright Techimpact Scholars

  • Joe Coulter
  • Dr Michael Daly

Fulbright Irish Scholar-in-Residence

  • Associate Professor Tom Felle 

Fulbright Irish students

  • Susan Boyle 
  • Conall Geoghegan Moore 
  • Luke Gibbons 
  • Eoin Oude Essink
  • Áine McBride/Mac Giolla Bhríde
  • Terence McSweeney 
  • Dr Lukas O'Brien
  • Andrew Ó hEachteirn 
  • Jessica O'Neill 
  • Dr Daniel O'Reilly 

Fulbright FLTAs

  • Abaigéal Drummy 
  • Niamh Hetherington
  • Annie Mary Jowett 
  • Conchobhar Mac Giolla Bhríde 
  • Caoimhe Ní Chonghaile
  • Shauna Ní Dhochartaigh
  • Eibhlín Seoige NicCormaic 
  • Seán Ó Coistealbha
  • Niall Páirc 

The next round of applications for the Fulbright Irish Awards will open on August 28, 2023. For more information and to read more on this year's Fulbright Irish Awardees, visit Fulbright.ie.