It was a homecoming of sorts for the U.S. Ambassador who spent a celebratory morning in Moville, yesterday alongside Principal Liam McDermott at Scoil Eoghain National School.
The Ambassador was delighted to meet with 240 pupils and the teaching staff, as part of a presentation by U.S.-based charity the Irish American Partnership.
The Partnership gave a $10,000 grant to the Inishowen primary school in honour of Ambassador Cronin’s forebears who hailed from the peninsula.
Ambassador Cronin’s grandfather Hugh McLaughlin was born on the Inishowen peninsula in 1886, and he emigrated to the United States in 1912.
The Partnership honoured the American diplomat, who previously served as the first female Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, at their annual Nollaig na mBan Women’s Leadership Celebration in Washington, DC in earlier this year.
The Ambassador enjoyed a lively interview with BBC America’s Caitriona Perry and pledged to present the school grant in person.
President and CEO of the Partnership, Mary Sugrue said of the occasion, “Our mission is to connect our members directly to their heritage through grassroots, targeted giving, and we are proud to partner with our friend Ambassador Cronin today, in giving back to her homeland of Moville, and to help with resources for Scoil Eoghain.”
Ambassador Cronin toured the school, enjoying Irish dance, choral, and poetry recitations by the Scoil Eoghain pupils.
Ambassador Cronin said “It is wonderful to be back on the Inishowen peninsula, the home of my grandfather. The Irish American Partnership builds upon the vital connections between the United States and Ireland through generous donations that empower Ireland’s young people. I am delighted to see the partnership’s impact across the island, and today in Donegal with this grant to Scoil Eoghain in Moville.”
Principal Liam McDermott proudly accepted the grant from Ambassador Cronin saying, “The Partnership’s work funding schools, communities, and scholarships across Ireland is inspirational. We in Moville are honoured at the Ambassador’s visit and are delighted to welcome her home to Donegal.”
Partnership Chief Executive Mary Sugrue and Vice President Clodagh Boyle also visited schools who have received recent funding in Donegal, including Scoil Mhuire, Cresslough, Scoil Naisiunta Glasain, Craosloch, and Scoil Colmcille in Letterkenny.
The Partnership has raised more than $53 million for education, community development, and peace initiatives across the island of Ireland, providing targeted grants to schools, university access scholarships, homeless youth education centers, supporting shared and integrated education initiatives in Northern Ireland, and more.
The grant to Moville’s national school is part of their hallmark O’Neill School Grants program, which has supported more than 600 Irish schools.
