Gorey's Kate Lawlor Awarded Prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to Teach Irish in the United States

A Gorey woman is preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime after being awarded one of Ireland's most prestigious international scholarships.

Kate Lawlor has been named a recipient of a 2026–27 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Award, one of just 19 Fulbright Irish Awards presented this year.

The award will see Kate spend around ten months at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where she will teach the Irish language while also furthering her own studies.

A graduate of University College Dublin, Kate completed a BA in Irish and Irish Folklore in 2025 and is currently undertaking a Master's degree in Scríobh agus Cumarsáid na Gaeilge. She also tutors undergraduate students in Irish grammar and conversation.

Kate has been heavily involved in promoting the Irish language throughout her time in UCD, holding leadership positions with An Cumann Gaelach and UCD TradSoc, while also serving as Oifigeach na Gaeilge in the UCD Students' Union.

Away from her studies, she is a member of Na Gaeil Óga, Dublin's first Irish-language GAA club, and is an enthusiastic Gaelic footballer, camogie player and traditional musician.

As part of the Fulbright programme, Kate will act as a cultural ambassador, sharing the Irish language, music and culture with students and communities in the United States while strengthening educational and cultural ties between the two countries.

The Fulbright Awards ceremony took place at Iveagh House in Dublin. The programme, managed by the Ireland–United States Commission for Educational Exchange since 1957, promotes academic excellence and cultural exchange between Ireland and the United States.

Speaking on Morning Mix, Kate described the award as an incredible honour and looked ahead to representing both Wexford and the Irish language on an international stage.