Photo: Andres Poveda Photography

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and the Embassy of the United States of America in Dublin are pleased to announce 18 Fulbright Irish Awardees for 2025-2026. Recipients were presented with Awards at a ceremony in the U.S. Embassy last night.

Founded in 1946, the Fulbright bilateral exchange programme has served to strengthen international relations by facilitating academic and cultural exchanges globally for over 79 years. The Fulbright Program in Ireland has awarded grants to more than 2,500 Irish and American citizens since 1957, contributing to enduring Ireland-U.S. relations and a global culture of understanding. 

From August 2025 to August 2026, Fulbright Irish Scholars, Students and Professionals will attend institutions ranging from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Kansas to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Maxine Greene Institute, and the University of Colorado Boulder. Awardees will research, innovate and collaborate across a diverse range of fields including multimedia arts, philosophy, medicine, agriculture, education, art history, AI technology in medicine, AI technology in education, visual arts, and health.

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) will teach the Irish language and attend Irish language Immersion weekends at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Our Lady of the Elms, University of Montana, and the University of Notre Dame.

Awardees serve as cultural ambassadors during their time in the U.S. and share their knowledge, ideas and experience upon their return, creating lasting impacts for society and continuing the important work of strengthening ties between the U.S. and Ireland.

There are 2 Fulbright-Creative Ireland Irish Awardees this year.

Photo: Andres Poveda Photography

Dr Carmel Hinchion is an experienced teacher, teacher educator and researcher. She holds a doctorate in Teacher Education and is an Associate Professor of Education (Emeritus) at the University of Limerick. She taught on the Initial Teacher Education programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level and for many years has been involved in curriculum development in Ireland, especially in the area of English Pedagogy. The power of the arts in education has been central in Carmel’s teaching and research work. Carmel’s Fulbright-Creative Ireland Professional Fellowship Award will facilitate an arts and education project with the Maxine Greene Institute, New York, where she will research the philosophy and practices of the late philosopher and educationalist Maxine Greene with those educators who carry on her legacy at the Institute. Carmel will particularly focus on approaches to imaginative learning in the classroom and aesthetic approaches in education. She plans to disseminate her learning with fellow teachers and researchers on her return to Ireland.

Photo: Andres Poveda Photography

Dr Niamh O’Brien is a harp player, singer, composer and sound artist. She has performed in Ireland and abroad as a solo artist, and with traditional groups such as The Chieftains, AnTara and Hoodman Blind. Since 2017 she has been active in audio and radio, working as a recordist, editor and producer on podcast and documentary projects. She was awarded a PhD by the University of Limerick in 2024 for her research in in the field of sonic arts and deep mapping. Her current compositional practice combines traditional, folk and electronic music, with voices, interview materials and field recordings. Her research and creative projects have been supported by the Irish Research Council, Music Network and the Arts Council of Ireland. As a Fulbright-Creative Ireland Professional Fellowship Scholar, Niamh will explore the work of Irish folklore and traditional music collectors through the lens of media theory and hands-on artistic research at University of Colorado Boulder. Through research and creative practice Niamh will bring the discourse of experimental media archaeology into conversation with Irish cultural history and ask how particular media ecologies or assemblages produce articulations of culture, authenticity and tradition.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, Dr Dara FitzGerald, said:

“As Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, it is gratifying to see a new cohort of thriving Fulbright Irish Awardees embark on Fulbright awards to the United States. Awardees join a growing global network of Fulbright alumni, friends and colleagues who have achieved accolades across all disciplines. While the Fulbright Program is synonymous with cutting edge research, innovation, teaching and academic excellence, it is equally known for its important role in strengthening international relations and fostering mutual understanding through cultural exchange. As Senator J. Fulbright said, ‘The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs.’

I would like to highlight the ongoing and sterling support of our partners, the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Dublin.

We are deeply grateful to our Irish award sponsors and partners: Research Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey Ireland, National University of Ireland, Teagasc, the Creative Ireland Programme, the Heritage Council and notable U.S. Institutions such as the Exploratorium, the Smithsonian, the Harry Ransom Center, Florida Polytechnic University, the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; and Irish institutions such as University College Cork, Technological University of the Shannon, Technological University of Dublin, AMBER Research Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin City University, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Galway, Maynooth University, University of Limerick and the Kemmy Business School, Atlantic Technological University, and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies.”

The Fulbright Irish Awards will open on 28^th August 2025. Interested candidates should visit www.fulbright.ie for more information.

"The Fulbright Program plays a crucial role in strengthening ties between the United States and Ireland. Through educational and cultural exchanges, Fulbright awardees work toward fostering mutual understanding and finding solutions to global issues, ensuring that our extraordinary transatlantic relationship continues to flourish. I congratulate this year’s awardees on their success."

Visit www.fulbright.ie for more information.