My name is Morgan, and I am a second year Irish Studies student at the University of Liverpool. Last summer, I had the opportunity of spending two months as an intern living and working in Washington DC.
For a politics major like myself, it felt like I had struck gold, getting to spend two months living in DC, working only a short distance from some of the most iconic buildings in the world, and all for free. This was all thanks to the Washington Ireland Program (WIP).
The Program was founded in 1994, born out of the “Project Children” concept of sending groups of children from Northern Ireland (half Catholic and half Protestant) to America for the summer in order to escape the violence of the Troubles. The essence of WIP is almost a “Freshman Class” of Project Children - university-age young people sent to America for the summer, to live with a host family, and to work as an intern for the two months. The Program is funded by both governments in Dublin and Belfast, with most students also making a small contribution. However, there is a 100% bursary available, and over 50% of students qualified for the bursary last year. It costs approximately £10,000 per student for the Program to run, and the majority of funding comes from private and commercial sponsors on both sides of the Atlantic.
My experience of the Program was nothing short of surreal. The summer was full of places we’d only seen in movies, witnessing the famous “American hospitality” up close, and what we referred to as “pinch me moments”. I was matched with the family of lobbyist Erik Huey as my hosts. Erik has three young daughters who live between him and his ex-wife, and all of them made me feel more than welcome in their home, which really helped me fight homesickness. His house was gorgeous, as he had a balcony/patio area where he would regularly host barbecues and Rock Creek Park right on the doorstep provided opportunities for numerous scenic walks with his two dogs. He would prep lunch for me in the mornings and then drop me at the train station on his way into DC, where I would catch the metro each day to my work placement at the Catholic University of America.
CUA holds the only consecrated basilica in North America, and working in the Provost’s Office was extremely interesting due to my background in education provision. Two days a week WIP would hold curriculum sessions. These would consist of panel discussions, masterclasses and discussions about the future of the island of Ireland. All of these were both informative and enjoyable, but the masterclasses were a particular favourite of everyone on the Program. Each student would be given the opportunity to deliver a masterclass to the rest of the group, i.e. a 10-minute presentation on something they felt passionate about, whether it be their experience in a certain area, or just a topic they were interested in. I presented mine on the mental health of young people in NI and the work that I had done in that area, but other topics ranged from the Romanovs to nuclear energy. This was a good chance to just enjoy people being able to ‘come into their own’ and develop skills and knowledge in a certain field.
At every opportunity, the program encourages you to look at things from a fresh perspective, from curriculum sessions on the decriminalisation of drugs to the future prospects of a United Ireland. The debates were always intense and respectful, and everyone on the class had earned their place by having a vision for the future and being able to articulate that vision with both vigour and passion. One of the best examples of this was being part of an impromptu debate in a bar over the legacy of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland - obviously an extremely niche subject but one that we enjoyed exploring, nonetheless. This sort of dialogue was facilitated and encouraged to develop our skills as both active listeners and speakers. In order to be our island’s next generation of leaders, we have to be able to consider differing points of view and empathise with people’s alternative lived experiences, as well as being able to articulate our own views in an accessible way. Without this, the rationale of the program, i.e. encouraging dialogue, understanding, and service to others, would fail.
The Washington Ireland Program’s links with the University of Liverpool are long-established and strong. The first UoL student was admitted in 1999, before the Program was extended to include the Republic of Ireland. Since then, 20 students from UoL have successfully completed the program, with a further two accepted for 2025, one of whom is a fellow student from the Institute. The link between the University and the Program is not solely based on the amount of Irish students at the University, but also as a direct result of the Institute of Irish Studies’ sustained efforts to share the opportunity amongst its students. The Institute has hosted regular sessions over the years in connection with the Program, including one delivered by myself to the 2025 cohort, offering guidance and advice on the application process, for which they can only be thanked.
To conclude, the Washington Ireland Program really is an opportunity like no other. The intensity of the schedule, the obligation to leadership and peace-building, plus the opportunities that arise from the name alone. In my view, it is a critical asset in the future development of these two islands, and vital to the maintenance of strong link between Liverpool, the island of Ireland, and the respective governments. With esteemed alumni such as former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Deputy First Minister and former MP Emma Little-Pengelly, the calibre of graduates from the Program is exceptional, and the opportunities for future dialogue and challenging conversations that it creates for a divided society such as mine is invaluable.