About Us

Our Mission

CIAA SCHOLASTIC INC is a New York 501c3 dedicated to Educating American High School Students in the rich traditions and heritage of Ireland and to preserving and nourishing the great bonds between the United States and Ireland for future generations.

Our Motto

Proud to be Irish American.

Our Goal

Our goal is to support the mobilisation of American High School Students of Irish Heritage to visit Ireland on Educational trips. We will support them to attend an immersive program for two weeks in Ireland. This will help the students experience the unique qualities of Irish Education , Culture , Heritage and Leadership and Sustainability through a series of classes , activities and trips while they reside in small groups with Irish Host Families. By focusing on Irish American Youth we intend to strengthen the bonds between our two great countries for future generations.,

Message from the Board

Dear Sirs,

CIAA SCHOLASTIC INC is a 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit Corporation as determined by the United States Internal Revenue Service , effective from January 2019 . The primary purpose of the Corporation is to operate a summer educational and service program for Irish-American High school students in Galway, Ireland. The New York 501(c)(3) Corporation supports the American based activities of CIAA SCHOLASTIC INC. by recruiting, training, fundraising and corporate governance.Our mission is to strengthen the Irish American bonds for future generations and we appreciate your goodwill and support as we strive towards this.

The Board of CIAA Scholastic Inc., is dedicated to supporting High school students from throughout the United States on immersive summer trips to Ireland. Our goal is to solidify links and encourage greater connectivity between the US and Ireland. This requires a strong focus on youth and we intend to nurture young Irish Americans through a prioritisation of networks and programs that engage young people. The students who travel to Ireland will engage in an intellectually stimulating and deeply enriching exploration of the unique bonds between the United States and Ireland and also their own position as emerging Global Citizens in the wider world. By supporting this program you will provide the students with the opportunity to embrace the qualities and traditions of Ireland while they advance their global education and awareness , nurture their creativity and talents , improve their confidence , develop their leadership skills , all in a uniquely Irish environment. Helping to provide this opportunity is our way of maintaining and progressing the wonderful legacy it is to be of Irish American Heritage and we earnestly request that you to play a very decisive part by supporting our efforts in prioritising the significance of this heritage for future generations of Americans.

Irish Americans are the second largest ancestry group in the United States with 36million Americans claiming Irish ancestry. If the sense of connection is not to loosen , the attachment of the current generation of Irish Americans must be transmitted to the next generation. This requires a strong focus on young Irish Americans and this is where we need your support . The “Ireland of the mind“, will always exert a powerful pull but it should not, however, displace today`s realities. The `flow`of emigrants to the US from Ireland is now largely confined to history and the current `trickle` of emigration is a reality , which , in time, may weaken the intrinsic bonds between our two countries. We are trying to counteract this to some degree by hosting young Irish Americans in Ireland and by educating the next generation of leaders , entrepreneurs and decision makers in the Unites States ,.who will make a difference in their own country and who will also form vital networks of influence for Ireland in the future. The relationship with Irish America must be a two way one, a mature ,reciprocal , 21st century relationship that will consolidate our current position and safeguard the bonds and unique relationship for future generations of Irish Americans. Our aim is to nurture and progress the bond. Please support our mission in whatever way you can.

Brian Fahy

President CIAA SCHOLASTIC INC

Meet Our Board

Brian Fahy , Board President

Brian Fahy is the founder and CEO of CIAA SCHOLASTIC INC. .An alumnus of University College Galway he has been involved in the Education , Management and Wellbeing of teenage students for forty years. He currently works as Assistant Principal at Saint Endas Co Educational Secondary School in Salthill , Galway and also has the distinction of being the longest serving teacher on the School`s Board of Management .He has taught History and English over a forty year period and is very passionate about the teaching of these subjects. In addition he has served as a parent representative on The Board of Management of Scoil Einde Primary School and as a Director of Cumann Luath Cleas Gael , Bothar nn Tra. He is a former Principal of Dublin Language School , Newbridge , County Kildare and Principal of Dublin Language School , Salthill , Galway.

A lover of Irish music , dance and history , he is especially interested in the ancestral ties between the United States and Ireland and the evolving nature of this special bond between the two countries. He is a strong advocate of the critical role of American youth in the preservation and progression of the unique relationship between the United States and Ireland.

Together with his daughter , Dr.Johanna Clancy , he founded Celtic Irish American Academy in 2016. The Academy encourages US High School students to attend immersive educational and cultural trips to Ireland . Students have attended from over twenty states to date.

A keen sportsperson , he is a former chairman of Salthill camogie club. He was also a very progressive chairman of Salthill Knocknacaragh Gaelic Athletic Assocation for a three year period. Apart from leadership and administration at the club , he has also coached male and female teams from juvenile up to adult level. In addition , he managed football , hurling and camogie teams at schools level and also served as chairman of Galway City Schools Hurling . A former captain of SK Golf society , he follows and attends sporting events in Ireland and the United States. Brian is a frequent visitor to the US and his two sons are now working and living in New York.

Mike Finnegan

Michael C. Finnegan has enjoyed a 40-year career at the intersection of law, finance, government, and politics. In each of these areas, Mike’s love of Ireland and Irish-American culture were always important influences as he negotiated his way through some of the most important corridors of power and influence.

A native of Peekskill, New York, Mike is a “Distinguished Graduate” of Walter Panas High School and received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Siena College where he captained the school’s championship rugby team and was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer through the ROTC program. He later taught American Government at Siena and served on the Board of Trustees. Mike graduated from Pace Law School with a JD and an Advanced Certificate from the school’s nationally ranked Environmental Law program. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors of the law school. Mike practiced with the firm of Plunkett and Jaffe alongside another Peekskill native, who later appointed him as his Chief Counsel when George Pataki was elected the 53rd Governor of New York. Following action-packed years in the Governor’s Office where he successfully shepherded significant reforms through the legislative process to become NYS law, including an array of important environmental measures. Mike was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Public Administrators. He also worked closely with former Congressman Joe Crowley to secure enactment of the Irish Famine Curriculum Bill requiring instruction on the subject in secondary schools throughout New York State.

As environmental matters became of increasing importance in business and finance, Mike was hired by the JP Morgan Investment Bank as a Managing Director specializing in Environmental Finance. After a career spanning nearly 12 years which took him to Ireland on a number of occasions for business, he retired from JP Morgan and returned to the U.S. Army following the 9-11 attacks on New York. In order to secure his reappointment as an officer in the JAG Corps, Mike was required to return to Basic Training and remains the oldest-ever graduate of the Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC) at Ft. Benning which he completed at the age of 53. Among the assignments that followed, Mike served as the Staff Judge Advocate in the famed 69th Infantry Regiment, the “Fighting 69th.”

Mike also served of the Board of Directors at the Smurfit School of Business at University College Dublin, the New York Irish Famine Memorial Commission, Catholic Charities of the New York Archdiocese, and numerous environmental organizations including the United Nations Development Programme, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the New York League of Conservation Voters. He has numerous awards including the New York “Distinguished Service Medal,” the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and Distinguished Service award from the New York Bar Association Environmental Law section.

He is a frequent lecturer including presentations at the American Law Institute ALI-ABA Conference, the New York Judicial Institute, the United States Military Academy at West Point, Manhattanville College, the University of Rochester, and, of course, his alma maters of Siena and Pace Law School. His son Michael Finnegan Jr. is 2016 graduate of NUIG achieving Second Honors in Creative Writing.

Peter Fahy

Peter travelled extensively through Europe , The Southern Hemisphere and The United States before eventually settling in New York in 2012.

A native of Salthill , Galway ,Ireland ,Peter emigrated to the United States in 2012. He has an outstanding track record in business and in sport. While in Ireland he was a member of Salthill Knocknacaragh Gaa club and he represented his club at all levels in football and was voted the senior player of the season in 2011. He has represented his county in minor and under 21 Gaelic football and the Galway City schools and Liam Mellows club in hurling. A keen golfer , he also played rugby in the back division for National University of Ireland Galway in the 2010 / 11 season.. He has represented the Leitrim NY Gaelic football team and was a key member of their all conquering New York Championship winning team in 2012 . Peter has represented Dublin football club in New York and was also a key player on the NY Irish soccer team who were winners of the 2019 Cosmoploitan Championship.. He has been a key supporter of the Celtic Irish American Academy since its inception and a patron of scholarship opportunities for young people to study and visit Ireland. . Peter started working for the Allied Management Company nine years ago and has progressed to becoming a partner in one of its most successful establishments.. He is now general manager of the very successful St. Patricks Bar and Grille in Mid Town Manhattan. He brings a great deal of enthusiasm , people management skills and business acumen to CIAA Scholastic.

Treasa Goodwin-Smyth

Treasa was born and raised on the family farm in Cobh, County Cork. She was the first young woman from her county to receive an Academic Scholarship to study Farm Management at Gurteen Agricultural College, and this was a major breakthrough for a young woman at this time in what was considered to be a male-dominated profession. Treasa moved from County Cork to NYC in 1980 s. Alongside her nursing career, Treasa manages to play key roles in so many areas of support for the Irish and American Communities in the United States. She is a former President of The Cork County Association in New York and has been involved with The United Irish Counties in New York as a Cork delegate for many years.

Treasa Goodwin Smyth is extremely well known on the broadcasting and sporting scene. She has been the voice of the All Ireland Finals on Fordham University Radio WFUV. Treasa was the first female in the world to be involved in the coverage of these great finals on radio. Treasa is the host of Ireland Calls Radio Show. Ireland Calls Radio Show has been part of The American Irish Fabric for more than forty years and has the distinction of being the longest-running Irish Radio show in the US. In 2015 Ireland Calls Radio Show was inducted into the Ireland Radio Hall of Fame. Together with her husband Tommy Smyth, ESPN – TV Soccer analyst, they co-host WNBC’s coverage of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the parade has received 3 Emmy Nominations during this time.

An outstanding camogie player, she has represented Cobh, Imokilly, Cork, and New York. She has coached many ladies, young and old in the skills of the game and is currently a Camogie coach with Shannon Gaels Queens New York. Treasa also served as President of the New York Young Irelands Camogie, and in 2009 was a subject for the `GAA Oral History Project. Treasa has run many marathons in New York and Dublin, Cork to name a few, and currently is an inspirational running coach for runners and Team Aisling.

John Flaherty

John was born in Boston and grew up in Chicago, Illinois and Galway, Ireland. He attended St. Mary College and University College, Galway, where he received degrees in Mathematics and Economics. John is a dynamic businessman and has been a leader in the hospitality and property industries for years. A fluent Irish speaker, he has been a supporter of Irish American Arts and Culture for forty years and was the first President of The Cambridge Celtic Arts Society , Massachusetts. John was involved in the erecting of a memorial on Deer Island , Boston Harbour in 2019. This memorial was blessed and unveiled by Cardinal Sean O Malley and Mayor Martin Walsh in 2019 and it commemorates the Irish Famine refugees who “left their native land for new lives in America , only to perish and be interred in unmarked graves.“ In total , eight hundred and three Irish Famine Immigrants are interred there and the iconic Celtic Cross now serves as a reminder of those victims , their plight and our shared history. Perhaps John’s greatest legacy was his brainchild , the Cambridge Irish Famine Memorial which was unveiled by Irish President Mary Robinson in Cambridge Common , near Harvard Square in 1997. This memorial remembers the famine, known in Irish as An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger). It depicts the Irish exodus from their homeland, their arrival in Boston and ultimate triumph over adversity in America.The journey continues. It is estimated that three million people visit this sculpture yearly and it is one of the most celebrated symbols of our Irish American heritage.

Unateresa Gormley

Unateresa Gormley is a first generation Irish American. Born to a Co. Longford mother, and a Co. Kerry father, Unateresa’s family were well-known for their passion for all things Irish, as well as for their involvement in the N.Y. community.

Unateresa is a loving wife to her very supported husband Sam Gormley, Co Tyrone and mother to her beautiful son Shea Anthony. She is a board member and part-owner of a range of NY based sports facilities , a NYSL Therapist, a Certified Dance teacher , and also plays a number of other roles in her community. Unateresa is a dedicated contributor to a local rehab center, and also a host family for years for young children who are placed in her care through the U.S.- based Project Children.. She is responsible for hosting and sponsoring several Interns from Ireland on the Project Children Internship Program. Unateresa is owner of The Sheahan/Gormley School Of Irish Dance, CEO & Cultural Director of Big Apple Feis & Fleadh, Cultural Director of the New York/New Jersey/Ct and Florida Rose Of Tralee and Founder Of Irish American Young Leaders.

Unateresa Gormley is recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle Professional in the field of the Performing Arts as a result of her role as Director and Chief Executive Officer with USG International Dance Presenters. USG Performing Art Presenters is dedicated to bringing performing artists and audiences together in every place and way imaginable. They achieve this goal by providing visionary thinking, professional development, resource sharing and advocacy in support of its colleagues and all those who create and disseminate the performing arts. USG Performing Art Presenters is dedicated to promoting, presenting and producing first-rate performing arts for young audiences. They believe it is the beauty and athleticism of Irish Dance and the common Celtic heritage that binds the peoples of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Aisia and Australia together.

Unateresa is committed to building bridges of culture, commerce, education and friendship between the United States and Ireland. She was an Ambassador for Tourism Ireland from 2011 to 2015, is a Founding Member of The Big Apple Feis & Fleadh Performing Arts Presenters, and is associated with programs such as Project Children, the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Society, NY State Board member of LAOH, IBO, Irish Arts Center, An Coimisium Le Rince Gaelicta, North American Feis Commission, IDTANA Mid Atlantic Region, Sports Fitness and Fun, New York Celtic Music Group, NY Entrepreneurs Business Network, Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Proud of Your Irish Heritage, IIBN, Irish Network USA & NY, American Irish Historical Society, and more that she supports year round..

The Gaelic Cultural Society chose Unateresa-Gormley and her husband Sam as the 2005 “Celts of the Year.”

In addition, Unateresa is the recipient of the Irish Woman of the Year Award in 2007, in which she received a letter from the President of Ireland in recognition for her successes. The Irish Echo presented Unateresa in 2017 with The Irish Echo Community Champion Award..

“Our greatest challenge in life is to give as much of our- selves as we can, “[We can do that] by helping others in need, opening a door and making a difference in a child’s or adult’s life. Be true to yourself and life’s rewards are unending,”.

Paul Finnegan

Paul Finnegan was raised in Galway City, Ireland, and has lived in New York since 1986. He is a graduate of the Nationa l University of Ireland at Galway, and holds a Master of Science in Information Systems from Baruch College, Zicklin School of Business, of the City University of New York. He has been an educator in New York’s public schools, and at third level, along with stretches working in the computer and engineering worlds.

Much of his professional and voluntary work in New York has been on behalf of the Irish community of New York, with, in total, 15 years experience as an Executive Director/CEO of two prominent New York Irish organizations, the New York Irish Center and the Emerald Isle Immigration Center. He was also the founding organizer of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers. Recently he has moved away from the role of Executive Director, to develop other initiatives. He currently provides nonprofit and business consulting services through his company Shantalla LLC, named for a Galway City neighborhood where he lived for a time as a child. He is currently the 1 st VP of the Irish Business Organization of New York, a voluntary role, and is representing Stephen Travers of Truth and Reconciliation Platform (TaRP) in the Uniited States. And he’s also producing and presenting his own podcast, CenterPieceNY, which focuses on long-standing members of New York’s Irish community, whose lives are the foundation of the positive image of the Irish in New York in particular and the United States in general.