The first three classes of George J. Mitchell Scholars assembled in Washington, D.C. early in March for the first alumni gathering of the program. The Mitchell Scholarship program, the flagship project of the US-Ireland Alliance, annually sends American post-graduates to universities on the island of Ireland for a year of post-graduate work. Less than five years old, the program has quickly become one of the most prestigious competitions in the country.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) opened the festivities by hosting a reception for the 32 Scholars in the US Capitol. Several Senators and members of their staffs dropped by to meet the Scholars. Senators Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Senator Chris Dodd (D-MA) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) were among those in attendance.

The Scholars spent Friday morning on Capitol Hill meeting with senior staffers. Emily J. Reynolds, Secretary of the Senate, met with the group. Reynolds, right-hand to Senate Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), served recently on the selection committee that chose the class of Scholars that will study in Ireland and Northern Ireland in the fall. The Scholars were joined for lunch by several senior staffers who discussed politics and their work for Members of Congress. President Bush’s Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, Dr. Mitchell Reiss, gave the Scholars a briefing on the current state of affairs in Northern Ireland, as did Tim Losty, the Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau. Dr. Tony Lake, President Clinton’s National Security Advisor, who played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process, spoke with the Scholars about the current state of world affairs and his experiences in government.

On March 12, Scholars, friends and supporters of the US-Ireland Alliance were treated to a private concert by singer Maura O’Connell.

Dell Pendergrast, director of the Mitchell Scholarship program, noted that all but four former Scholars were in attendance: "The fact that all of those who physically could get to Washington for these three days did so, is testament to how much their year in Ireland meant to them." Trina Vargo, President of the Alliance, added, "It is our hope that all of the returning Scholars will remain interested in the island, and involved in this organization, throughout their lives."

The scholarship program was launched in 1998 with an endowment from the Irish Government and is further supported by the US Congress & Department of State, the Northern Ireland Department of Employment and Learning, Automsoft, Becton, Dickinson & Co., Bombardier Aerospace (NI) Foundation, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, The Crucible Corporation and the McDonnell Charitable Foundation. Corporate sponsors of the Alliance are CRH, Diageo Ireland, IONA Technologies, and Jurys Doyle Hotel Group.