According to IrishCentral, a program that will give Irish American students the opportunity to travel to Ireland for up to two weeks for free is currently in the works and is being led by Irish Diaspora Minister Jimmy Deenihan.
Free Birthright trips to Ireland will allow students ages 18-26 to participate in an immersive program of learning Irish history, culture, and current affairs. Minister Deenihan addressed the Global Irish Economic Forum in November to announce that the program will begin its first phases in Summer 2016.
via Sara Sees
The program is based on Birthright Israel, which was founded in 1999. As reported by IrishCentral, more than 400,000 young adults of Jewish decent have spent up to 10 days in Israel to study modern-day life, culture, language and the country's history. In order to be eligible, applicants have to be between the ages 18-26, have at least one Jewish parent, have to identify as Jewish, and have a high school diploma.
How students will be chosen to partake in Birthright Ireland has yet to be decided, but the program is determined to have a similar selection process and blend of government funding as Birthright Israel.
I feel this would be a great opportunity for Irish American students to learn more about their culture. I'm half Irish myself; my grandparents came to America from Donegal. I've been wanting to travel to Ireland for quite some time now to learn more about where my family's from, and I'm just completely fascinated with the country's beauty overall. Let's just say that I'm tempted to pack my bags already!
via Gaelcoin