The Center’s primary goals are (i) to preserve Irish heritage and culture, and (ii) to promote peace and reconciliation through the democratic model of Northern Ireland. Help us accomplish these goals for the benefit of our students and community as well as others around the world.

For further information on how to make a gift to the Center for any purpose or fund, including donations in kind, please contact Lori Meghan Gallagher, J.D., Director of the Center of Irish Studies, at irishstudies@stthom.edu or 713-525-3592. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

We would like to thank the opportunity to all of our friends and benefactors who have supported the Center since its inception in 2003.  We could not be where we are today, making a difference in the lives of so many students, members of our community and around the world, if it were not for your gifts.

Gift Opportunities

The Center has several different funds in which we invite you to become participants:

• William J. Flynn Endowment for Peace and Reconciliation
• Annual Irish Gala
• Bishop McCarthy Travel Grants and Endowed Scholarships for Study Abroad In Ireland
• Business Education Initiative Scholarships for Students from Northern Ireland
• Cultural Outreach Forum
• Friends of the Center for Irish Studies
• Center for Irish Studies Endowment

The Center for Irish Studies Pursues Campaign to Honor William J. Flynn
One of the Center for Irish Studies’ primary goals is to promote peace and reconciliation through the democratic model of Northern Ireland.

In 2005, the University of St. Thomas launched a campaign to honor William J. Flynn, Chairman Emeritus of Mutual of America Insurance Company in New York, for his outstanding contributions to the Northern Ireland Peace Process. Through this campaign, the University intends to name the Center the Bill Flynn Center for Irish Studies. The University created a William J. Flynn Endowment for Peace and Reconciliation to achieve these goals.

The Center welcomes gifts to this Endowment in recognition of the tireless efforts of Bill Flynn to bring people from all parties and walks of life within the tent to listen, to create an environment for open dialogue and to achieve positive change in the lives of everyone in Ireland and Northern Ireland. To make a gift, contact Lori Meghan Gallagher, J.D., Director, Center for Irish Studies, University of St. Thomas, 3800 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006, 713-525-3592, irishstudies@stthom.edu.

Read William J. Flynn's Biography

Annual Irish Gala
Each year, the Center for Irish Studies holds an annual Irish Gala to raise funds for study abroad scholarships, academic programs and operating funds for the Center for Irish Studies.

Friday, November 5, 2010
Annual Irish Gala
6:30 p.m.: Silent Auction
Dinner and Program thereafter
Houstonian Hotel, 111 North Post Oak Lane

Honorees: Peg and William J. Flynn
Chairs: Jes and John Hagale

Honorary Chairs:
Elizabeth and Russell Bundy
Marion and John Foerst
Colleen and George McCullough
Mary Kay and Michael Poulos

Benefiting the University of St. Thomas Center for Irish Studies Study Abroad and Academic Programs

Individual Tickets: $250
Tables: $2,500, $3,500, $5,000, $7,500, $10,000, $15,000 and up!

For reservations or more information, contact Lori Gallagher at 713-525-3592 or irishstudies@stthom.edu.

Gather with the Friends of the University of St. Thomas Center for Irish Studies for the 2010 Annual Irish Gala celebrating honorees Peg and William J. Flynn, Chairman Emeritus of Mutual of America Insurance Company. Ambassador of Ireland Michael Collins from Washington DC and Consul General of Ireland Martin Rouine from Chicago and their spouses have been invited to attend the Gala. They plan to attend if their schedules permit. The evening promises to be filled with good company, good cheer, lively entertainment and a delicious dinner. Come be a part of it!

Our honorees have been instrumental in the success of the Center for Irish Studies and its mission to promote peace and reconciliation around the world. We are pleased to honor Bill Flynn for his extraordinary contributions through the years to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

In 1994, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Albert Reynolds recognized Mr. Flynn’s contributions to the peace process at a tribute dinner in his honor, and in October 2007, Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern praised Mr. Flynn’s tireless work in fostering peace and reconciliation in Ireland. In 2008, Irish America devoted its entire Heritage Series magazine to Mr. Flynn as a “true friend of Ireland.”

Mr. Flynn attended Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, NY, and received his M.A. in Economics from Fordham University in New York. He served in the United States Air Force during the Korean conflict. Mr. Flynn is the Chairman of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. In addition, he is a Trustee of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. Throughout his life, he has held many leading positions with various charitable and other organizations and has received many outstanding awards relating to Ireland, peace and mutual respect.

Study Abroad in Ireland
The Center has two funds dedicated to scholarships and travel grants for University of St. Thomas students to study in Ireland and Northern Ireland during the academic year or the summer.  We need your help to build those funds so that more students can study in Ireland and Northern Ireland in the coming years.

We have the Bishop McCarthy Travel Grant for Study Abroad in Ireland, which we use to award travel grants to students on our own summer study abroad programs as well as to students who study in Ireland and Northern Ireland with our exchange partners or with other programs.  Generally grants range from $500 to $2,000 per student, and are awarded based upon need and merit.

We also have the Bishop McCarthy Endowed Scholarship for Study Abroad in Ireland.  This Endowment will ensure sustained vitality of our study abroad scholarship program.

Please help us build these funds for the future so that we can make our students’ life-long dreams to study in Ireland and Northern Ireland come true!

Gifts in Memory of Others
Through the years, we have been asked by families and friends to dedicate particular funds in memory of others, such as Joan Meade DeDitius of Dallas, Texas. Mrs. DeDitius introduced the Center to the Irish American Cultural Institute, which provides the Center with as many as four speakers and performers each year for its cultural outreach program. Mrs. DeDitius also was instrumental in assisting the Center in locating an Irish language professor, Dr. Aileen Curtin, of Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, for its first Irish language program in Summer 2006. We are very grateful to Mrs. DeDitius for her encouragement and support.

We also have dedicated funds in memory of other supporters, including Ann Caraway Ivins, who was a founding member of The Irish Society and an original supporter of the Center, Rory Miggins, who was an active member of the Irish community and others.

Perhaps you would like us to help you create a memorial to a loved one or friend.

If you would like to make a gift in memory of someone, please contact Lori Gallagher at 713-525-3592 or irishstudies@stthom.edu.  We often dedicate these funds to study abroad programs with the donor’s permission, but these funds can be dedicated to any fund the donor chooses.

Business Education Initiative Scholarship for Students from Northern Ireland
The Business Education Initiative (BEI) scholarship program is sponsored by the Northern Ireland Government and the British Council.  We have participated in this program for several years. This program brings students to the United States from Northern Ireland for a full-year program. Through this program, students come from Northern Ireland to faith-based universities and colleges in the United States to study business.  They experience another culture and pursue their education in a peaceful setting, away from conflict and sectarianism.  Through exposure to business, commerce and education in the United States, the program envisions students will return to Northern Ireland and improve its economy and way of life.  This program currently costs the approximately $20,300 per year per student and is covered by scholarships through The American Ireland Fund and private donors.

Center for Irish Studies Cultural Outreach Forum
The Center for Irish Studies sponsors 9 to 12 free cultural events during the academic year. The Center for Irish Studies Cultural Outreach Forum is a group of individuals and companies who have agreed to sponsor Center for Irish Studies cultural events on an annual basis. This sponsorship frees the Center from requesting a separate sponsor for each event and provides funding to cover the cost of transportation, accommodation, meals and honoraria for the speakers and performers, as well as the cost of publicity, printing, postage and recording the events.

The Center would like to recognize all of the members of the Cultural Outreach Forum through the years and thank them for their loyal and valued support. We invite you to become a member of the Cultural Outreach Forum. Contact Lori Gallagher at 713-525-3592 or irishstudies@stthom.edu.

Cultural Outreach Forum Levels of Annual Giving

• Premier: $5,000 and more
• Ambassador: $2,500-$4,999
• Consul: $2,000-$2,499
• Legate: $1,500 to $1,999
• Donors: $50 to $1,499

The Center for Irish Studies Circle of Friends 
We welcome Friends of the Center for Irish Studies at any level. If you are a Friend, thank you for your friendship. Your friendship assists us develop new courses and support existing courses, support the Irish Club/Club na hEíreann and provide other benefits to students and the community through our academic and cultural outreach programs. If you are not already a Friend of the Center, you are invited to become one at any of the following levels:

Fr. Lamb Circle: $25-$249: Named after the late Fr. Robert Lamb, C.S.B., a University professor of history who arduously collected many of the current Irish materials in the Doherty Library at the University.

Fr. Murphy Circle: $250-$499 Named after the late Fr. John F. Murphy, C.S.B., the second President of the University from 1959-1966.

Fr. O’Rourke Circle: $500-$999 Named after the late Fr. Thomas P. O’Rourke, C.S.B., one of the founders of the University.

Bishop Byrne Circle: $1,000-$1,499 Named after the late Bishop Christopher E. Byrne, one of the pioneers whose vision of a Catholic university in the heart of Houston became a reality at the University of St. Thomas.

Fr. William Young Circle: $1,500 and above Named after the late Fr. William Young, CSB, President of the University from 1966 to 1967 and then again from 1979 until 1985 and member of the Center for Irish Studies Advisory Board.

Center for Irish Studies Endowment
The Center seeks to raise an endowment that will sustain its academic, cultural and study abroad programs for years to come.  Some of the funds raised through the Irish Gala support the Center for Irish Studies Endowment, but more are needed each year to continue to provide the Center with day-to-day funding. 

We welcome your support for any fund that catches your eye!