Gators in Ireland: Opportunity and Diplomacy

On Monday, April 7, University of Florida students had the opportunity to learn about the deep history between Irish and U.S. relations and the Working Holiday Visa. 

On Monday, Apr. 7, the Consul General of Ireland, Sarah Kavanagh, gave a presentation detailing the deep roots of Irish-U.S. relations and highlighted the opportunity for University of Florida students to work in Ireland for a duration of up to 12 months through the Working Holiday Visa. 

Much of Ireland’s early history is shaped by neighboring countries such as Scandinavia. Scandinavian Vikings were among the first to establish a major network of Irish cities including Dublin and Waterford. Additionally, the close neighbors of France and Spain forged a lasting influence in Ireland during later times when Irish Catholics left and settled in those countries. Water travel was the main mode of transportation in those times and served as a sort of highway system forging connections throughout the neighboring countries. 

The Americas and Great Britain had one of the largest impacts throughout Ireland as the most common language spoken today is English. There was a time when the native Irish language was banned in Ireland as many civil rights were taken away from Catholics, causing a terrible effect on the native language.  

The Consul General of Ireland stated that the native Irish language “only survived in an organic form along the western seaboard.” Efforts in the 20th century to create new Irish speaking regions have been partly successful as the Irish language has been having a renaissance in Ireland. The number of schools that teach in the native Irish language has surged recently as well.

In 1919-1921, the Irish War of Independence established Ireland as a free state. This war was fought between Irish and British forces and ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty which declared Ireland a free state. However, in 1920 an act of the UK Parliament split Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland into two self-governing entities. This sparked conflict between the Protestants of Northern Ireland and the Catholics of Southern Ireland where Catholics were treated as second class citizens. This continued up until U.S. intervention and the Anglo-Irish Agreement with President Reagan in 1985 which aimed to bring an end to these conflicts.

A complete ceasefire of violence happened under President Clinton during the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The United States continues to help keep Northern Ireland on the road towards a peaceful continuation of peace and the continued establishment of civil and political rights.

Today, the United States and Ireland remain very connected as there are 43 million Irish Americans and 150,000 Americans employed in Ireland, with 16,000 people employed from Florida. There are around 900 U.S. companies in Ireland that serve to shape modern relations. 

University of Florida students are eligible to apply for a Working Holiday Visa which allows students to live and work in Ireland for up to 12 months. Students can work and live in Ireland in between academic years, as well as the year following graduation. Students are responsible for finding their own work and housing within Ireland. The Counsel General of Ireland stated that people who work in people- facing jobs are often the most equipped with transferable skills for any profession and encourages University of Florida students to consider this opportunity in their career development abroad.