New York, NY: May 20, 2009 – The Council's annual program of Student Work Experience Scholarships for 2009 will be celebrated this year at an awards luncheon to be held at The Metropolitan Club in New York City on Thursday, June 11 2009. Council President Dennis D. Swanson, in releasing details of this year's scholarship awards, said "This is the 25th year in which the Council will have operated its successful Scholarship Awards. The program provides opportunities to student undergraduates from third-level educational institutions on the island of Ireland to travel to the United States and to work temporarily in American corporations. The scholarships provide work assignments in business corporations of all sizes in America. The assignments are linked to the fields of study and academic disciplines which the undergraduate scholars are pursuing in Ireland."

Mr. Swanson also noted "The Council's participation in this program reflects its interest in highlighting the excellent educational infrastructure which has been developed throughout the island of Ireland. Universities in Ireland, North and South, participate. This year colleges from Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick will be represented in the program."

The Council's scholarship candidates are typically undergraduate university students in their penultimate or junior year of college – usually, the third year of their four-year bachelors' study programs. The term of the scholarship runs from late May/early June thru September each year. The Council partners on this program with Fordham University for those Council Scholars based in New York City - these are accommodated in the residence halls of the Lincoln Center campus of the college during their time in Manhattan.

Mr. Swanson added "The Council, for its part, provides a cash award toward each student's travel expenses. The project-oriented employment assignments, which the Council arranges for the students, enhance their learning experiences in America, linked as they are to their field of study. We are indebted to the Universities in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland for their support and assistance in mounting this program."

Students selected by their colleges as the Council's 2009 participating scholars are:

• Aidan O’Hare is from Artane in Dublin and is enrolled at Trinity College Dublin studying Mathematics and Economics having finished the third year in a four-year degree course. He will travel to New York City to take up his appointment to work at Mutual of America in New York.
  
  
• Máirtín Ó Rabhartaigh hails from Letterkenny, County Donegal and is studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics at the National University of Ireland Galway. He will work at Allied Irish Banks in New York.
  
  
• Bronagh McCann is a native of Toomebridge, County Antrim and is a student at Queen's University Belfast where she is pursuing a degree in Chemistry in the School of Cemistry and Chemical Engineering. Bronagh will travel from Northern Ireland to New Jersey to take up her work assignment at Council member-firm Merck & Company.
  
  
• Jennifer Critchley, whose home is in Castleconnell in County Limerick , has been chosen by The University of Limerick to participate as a Council Scholar this year. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science degree and will travel to New York City where she will work in the world headquarters of News Corporation.
  
  
• Mary Ryan, from Dungarvan, County Waterford , is studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Science at University College Cork. She has been nominated to work with Pfizer, Inc. in New York City.

The Ireland-U.S. Council was founded in 1963 by American and Irish business leaders. Its principal objective is to encourage closer business links between Ireland and America . The Council operates a variety of scholarship and internship programs, stages seminars and hosts frequent events in Ireland and in America aimed at building business bonds and commercial connections across the Atlantic between the island of Ireland and the United States . The Council is not-for-profit corporation with headquarters in New York City and a permanent office in Dublin.