US-Ireland Alliance

George J. Mitchell Scholars Class of 2012 complete their year on the island

Click here for photo album the events described below   

Click here to watch video of the rings presentation and remarks of Mark Patrick Hederman, Abbot of Glenstal Abbey 

May 2012:  The class of 2012 Mitchell Scholars concluded their year on the island with a series of activities made all the better by the sun shining in Ireland. 

 Irish President Michael D. Higgins welcomed them to Aras an Uachtarain.   The President discussed his recent visit to the US and chatted with the Mitchells about a variety issues including their areas of the study, their time in Ireland, even Keynesian economics and the Chicago School.

Later that evening, about 100 guests gathered at a reception at The Little Museum of Dublin where Mark Patrick Hederman, the Abbot of Glenstal Abbey, presented the Scholars with their class rings, generous gifts from Cross Atlantic Capital Partners. 

Guests included several members of the Oireachtas, university representatives, business leaders, artists, diplomats, Mitchell alums and Britain’s Ambassador to Ireland, Dominick Chilcott.  Chilcott had been the UK’s Deputy Ambassador to Washington two years ago and hosted this very group of students when they were being interviewed for the scholarship.

In her remarks introducing the Abbot, Alliance president Trina Vargo announced that artist Michael Hanrahan had, earlier in the day, presented her with a painting of President Obama and the First Lady’s visit to Moneygall.  The painting will be sold or auctioned by the Alliance for the benefit of the Mitchell Scholarship program.  Hanrahan’s paintings have been given to the Aras, Buckingham Palace, the White House, as well as having been auctioned at Christie’s and Whyte’s. Click here to see a photograph of the painting.

Brian Kitson of the Kildare Village hosted the Mitchells at a lunch with Irish photographer John Minihan.  Minihan is known for his iconic photos of Samuel Beckett, Francis Bacon, Princess Diana, Patti Smith, Richard Burton, and many others.  He gave the Mitchells a tour of his exhibition at the Village and told them about his life and work.

In Kilkenny, Tomm Moore welcomed them to Cartoon Saloon (the animators who created the Academy Award nominated Secret of Kells).  We learned that it usually takes an entire day to create only two seconds of animation!  If Yeats had been writing of animation instead of poetry, he’d have said, ‘a frame could take a day maybe’.

The Mitchells also attended a cooking class with chef Rory O’Connell at his home near the Ballymaloe Cookery School.  This is a popular activity and the bonus is that they get to eat what was made!

Tom and Sheena McCarthy generously hosted a dinner at Fota House just outside of Cork. There was a tour of the gardens and house and a lovely dinner where we were joined by University College Cork President Michael Murphy and friends of the McCarthy’s.

While in Cork, the Mitchells stayed at the River Lee Hotel and visited the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at University College Cork and the English market.  The few days of events ended with a lively discussion and dinner in Kinsale with American entrepreneur and latest member of Dragon’s Den, Sean O’Sullivan.