Alliance for Catholic Education
Founded in 1993 by Father Tim Scully, C.S.C. and Sean McGraw, the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at Notre Dame develops a cadre of highly motivated and committed young educators to serve elementary and secondary schools. By training recent graduates, ACE serves disadvantaged Catholic primary and secondary schools throughout the USA. ACE provides an intensive two-year service experience encompassing three pillars: professional development, community life, and spiritual growth.
Since 2003, two Irish students have been selected annually to participate in the ACE Teaching Fellows program. ACE Ireland seeks to enhance the character of Catholic education in Ireland and to have a lasting impact by championing Catholic schools.
Comprised of ACE alumni, Irish educators, and those passionate about Catholic education, ACE Ireland serves Catholic education by identifying, motivating, and developing leaders committed to the character of Irish Catholic schools; supporting the faith life of Irish educators in their teaching, community building, and spirituality; and building partnerships between educational leaders in the United States and Ireland through our respective experiences of Catholic education.
Our most recent initiative has seen ACE Ireland partner with four Irish schools (two elementary, two secondary) to support these schools in strengthening the Catholic culture of their schools over a two-year period. O’Connell House serves as a base for the ACE community in Ireland, hosting monthly fellowship masses and dinners.
AnBryce Scholars
The AnBryce Scholars Initiative identifies and works with students who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance and would be first-generation college students at the University of Notre Dame. The program provides support to students facing significant socio-economic challenges in their pursuit of higher education. Scholars participate in a global immersion experience, which Notre Dame Dublin is honored to host each year.
House of Brigid
Founded in 2009, House of Brigid invites seven recent Catholic graduates to live in an intentional missionary community in Ireland. The community has principal responsibility for the liturgical planning and direction of the parish choir, as well as assisting with family liturgy groups and preparation for the sacraments.
Since 2009, House of Brigid has been based at Clonard parish in Wexford town, to support the Diocese of Ferns through musical, educational, and liturgical assistance. In 2014, an additional community was formed in Dublin attached to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 2016, Notre Dame was invited to steward Newman University Church in Dublin. The community is now associated with the Notre Dame Newman Centre for Faith and Reason and supports with their mission of outreach to Dublin City.
Irish Rugby /Notre Dame Rugby
The Irish Rugby Football Union and the University of Notre Dame have agreed to develop a groundbreaking partnership to promote rugby at Notre Dame, and consequently across the United States. The Union and the University will share knowledge and expertise and develop joint projects in player development, coaching and conditioning, sports medicine, and psychology. Notre Dame has one of the most successful and best-respected collegiate sports programs in the world and it has built an academic, sporting and commercial brand that resonates globally. This agreement will generate awareness of the Irish Rugby brand among the Irish-American community. Rugby has been played at Notre Dame since the early 1960s and both the 15-a-side and Sevens variants of the sport are played by men and women. The men’s and women’s senior teams play at the highest level of collegiate rugby. The Irish Rugby Football Union is the governing body for the sport in the entire island of Ireland where the success of both provincial and national teams has seen its popularity surge. The global status and aspirations of Irish Rugby are underscored by its bid to stage the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Ireland Gateway to Europe
Established in 2012, the Ireland Gateway to Europe is a not-for-profit collective of Irish service providers who showcase Ireland at international events as Europe's premier investment location. These leading Irish business people visited Notre Dame as part of their Chicago visit in 2014, and have partnered with us ever since. They run international events to give C-level decision makers all the information they need about expanding into the EU. The organization is supported by the Irish government and state agencies, as well as by companies who already use Ireland as their European headquarters. ND Dublin is the lead academic partner of Ireland Gateway to Europe and collaborates with them on many projects and events.